Beware the NEW YouTube scam where crooks pose as online celebs offering ‘free iPhones’
Don't get caught out by this complicated scam
YOUTUBE users are being warned about a new scam that cons you out of private info – and rewards crooks with free cash.
Fraudsters are posing as YouTube celebs – like make-up vlogger James Charles – and promising users free iPhones. But hoodwinked users are left empty-handed.
What is the YouTube celeb scam?
Criminals are setting up fake YouTube pages, but designing them to look exactly like those belonging to real vlogger stars.
These crooks will make their username and avatar identical to a famous YouTuber.
This fake "celeb" will then message fans, offering them a surprise gift – if they just click a link.
But it's actually a complete con, as revealed by cybersecurity experts at .
How does the YouTube celeb scam work?
"Once the user clicks the link, they are taken through a chain of shortlink services until they hit one of the malicious websites set up by the scammers," explains cybersecurity blogger Yonathan Klijnsma.
"This particular scam campaign talks about giving away free iPhones, so the domains reflect that theme, e.g., iPhoneXfree.net and GetiPhoneXhere.com.
"Following the link, victims are presented with a page impersonating Apple."
Clicking 'Get it Now' will take you through a so-called "selection process".
At this stage, you'll be asked to hand over your name, address, country and email address.
Scammers have created a fake progress bar to "check" your info, which is followed by a message declaring you as a winner – if only you verify some more information.
How do YouTube scammers make money?
"What happens next is where the criminals make their money: referral links to fake surveys," explains Yonathan.
"Once a visitor clicks 'verify now' they are taken to another website on which they have to complete a survey to verify that they are a real user.
"Another variant of this campaign promises free gift cards instead of iPhones."
Every time someone fills in a survey, the scammers will earn a small amount of money.
Cash from one user will be worth hardly anything, but if fraudsters can trick lots of users into filling out multiple surveys, the pay-out can quickly grow.
"These surveys are what monetize the scam for the criminals," Yonathan says.
"Once the visitors fill out the surveys, the organisations that collect this personal information give the scammers a flat-rate kick-back.
"Even if the kick-backs are tiny, these scammers fool enough users to finance their campaigns and then some."
How to avoid being scammed on YouTube
As always, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Don't fall for anyone offering you a free iPhone on YouTube, and don't click any unexpected links sent to you in email messages.
If you receive messages from a YouTube celeb, make sure to click through to their profile and make sure it's a legitimate account.
Scammers will often have very few subscribers and no videos uploaded, so you can immediately tell that they're fraudulent.
We've asked YouTube for comment and will update this story with any response.
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