Common scams on TikTok

Scammers go where the viewers are: in comments, messages, ads and hacked accounts of friends. Most tricks start with a promise (a prize, a free product, guaranteed returns, thousands of followers) and end with the same request: money outside TikTok, card details, a password or a code received by text message.

Fake giveaways and prize draws

The most common trick uses the name of a well-known creator, brand or shop. The scam account comments under popular videos or sends a direct message: “Congratulations, you won!” To claim the prize, a link has to be clicked, where a shipping fee, a “registration” fee or card details are requested; the prize never arrives, but the card may be charged later.

• The name of the fake account often differs from the original by only one letter, a dot or an underscore, and the profile has few videos and was created recently.
• In a real giveaway, the organizer announces the result on their own, well-known account and does not ask for money to claim the prize.

Verification codes requested in the name of a friend

A friend, whose account has already been hacked, sends a message: “I accidentally entered your number, could you forward the code you just got?” The code actually belongs to the recipient's own account: the scammer has just started a password reset or a login, and takes over the account with the code. Then the same message goes to the next friend. Messages like “Your account has been hacked” or “Your account will be deleted within 24 hours”, which lead to a link or an unknown profile, have a similar goal. The real status of the account is shown in the app under Settings and privacy → “Support” → “Safety Center” → “Account check”, not in a message from an unknown user.

Investment and “easy money” offers

The videos show luxury cars, stacks of cash and “2 hours of work a day”, and the description links to a group. They are often promoted with a photo of a famous person or with a fake video made with artificial intelligence. Typical variants:

• Crypto and stock “tips”: they promise guaranteed, high returns; the money has to be paid into an external platform, the first small profit is actually paid out, but larger amounts are not.
• Task-based jobs: “we pay for likes and for watching videos”; after a few small payouts, they ask for a deposit or a “level-up fee”.
• Money mules: receiving money on one's own bank account and transferring it on looks like easy work; in many countries this is a crime, and the account holder is responsible for it.
• Romance: after weeks of friendly messages, it turns out that the other person urgently needs money, or offers an investment.

Fake online shops and payment outside TikTok Shop

Ads and videos show branded products at strikingly low prices, with labels like “clearance sale” or “last items”. The link leads to an external online shop, from which nothing or a poor imitation arrives. Where TikTok Shop is available, a purchase stays protected if the payment is made at the app's own checkout. If the seller asks to arrange the order by message, on WhatsApp, by bank transfer or even in cryptocurrency “because it is cheaper”, the buyer loses TikTok's buyer protection. In an unknown shop, it is worth paying by card, because a chargeback can then be requested through the bank.

Buying followers and likes, “free followers” sites

Sites and apps promising “1,000 free followers” or an “instantly verified account” usually ask for the TikTok username and password. This hands the account over to the scammer, who uses it for their own ads or for further scams. Paid follower packages violate TikTok's Community Guidelines, because they count as fake engagement: bought followers are mostly not real users, TikTok removes them regularly, and the account may be restricted. This also hurts reach, because fake followers do not watch the videos. If a video barely gets any viewers anyway, there may be other reasons: 0 views on TikTok: why a video gets no viewers.

If the damage is already done

1. If the code, password or login has fallen into someone else's hands, change the password immediately and log out unknown devices in the Settings and privacy menu. If logging in no longer works: Hacked TikTok account: first steps.
2. Once 2-step verification is turned on, a code obtained by a scammer is less dangerous on its own: 2-step verification and device management on TikTok.
3. If card details have been exposed, notify the bank and have the card blocked.
4. Report the scam account, comment or message in TikTok (with a long press, or from the profile menu), and it is worth keeping the conversation as screenshots.
5. In case of a loss, a report can also be filed with the police. TikTok's page about scams can be read at tiktok.com/safety.