Fake Views: Scamming Fame

Welcome to the 21^st century! With the rise of technology, society has become more and more dependent on the internet, smartphones and tablets. What we see virtually can change the whole world. With just a simple click or view, people can generate millions of money or the other way around.  This is why we’re no longer surprised when we see malicious and scamming websites and pages. But each one of us has a part in making the internet a safer place. One way is by becoming aware and reporting such sites, or how our favorite Asian trendsetters call it, 먹튀.

A perfect example of how scams have become a norm in our society is with fame and influence. We do all crave for a small spotlight, don’t we? But others just take it too far.

Take a look at Instagram Reels, for example. The new social media was launched not more than a month ago. The platform invites users to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram. These videos run for 15 seconds. But with a range of audio, effects, and new creative tools, a lot can happen in a quarter of a minute. It’s fun, creative, and easy. But things don’t just end there.

Just hours after it launched, scammers are already making money from selling fake views on Instagram Reels, $5 for 1,000 views, or $15 per 1,000 likes. This doesn’t sound much but one unnamed manager of larger botnets says that about 80 million users have already bought the service for 11 million views on the new social media platform. Running a network of 500,000 Instagram accounts, the money they generate is sure “enough for a good car and a decent home.”

The manager claims that the biggest influencer to ask for help with Instagram Reels so far has 1.5 million followers on the app. He also says that it was easy to generate fake views on Reels, only taking a few hours since there was no protection against view bottling.

If botnets and users are happy with how fame and influence go in this new social media, Facebook, Instagram’s parent firm, surely is not. And there’s a good reason why you should never fall for these schemes.

Instagram will purge your account if they catch you. The purpose of social media platforms is to encourage users to be present and upload posts/engage with other users in real time. Anything beyond that will surely get your account suspended or banned. Because Instagram constantly purges fake followers, you will lose in the end by spending any amount of money on these activities to grow your numbers. Plus, if the botnet you chose uses reciprocity technique, your personal information is at risk!

Don’t buy followers or likes to fool your audience or establish social proof. Use social media that way you should, to build a genuine relationship with your audience and engage with them. Sure, buying followers is tempting, but it will do you more harm than good.