TikTok Privacy and Security - Is TikTok Safe to Use? (2024)

Along with general TikTok security and privacy concerns, there are also genuine scams on the website. Seasoned users and internet aficionados can detect these scams and ensure they do not fall prey to them, but many people on the platform are still vulnerable. This includes older adults who are enticed by flashy messages and children who are endlessly curious about what they can achieve by responding to something or clicking something else. So here are some of the most common TikTok scams that a person can fall prey to

Fake Giveaways

Getting money or other high-value rewards such as the latest iPad is something many people are on the lookout for. TikTok scammers use this need in people and trap them in their schemes. Most of us have seen videos on TikTok and other social media platforms where an individual offers you large rewards for minimal effort, usually liking or sharing a post or an account.

Remember that it is probably too good to be true if you come across a post like this. Many scammers also entice users by showing multiple boxes of iPhones and large stacks of cash that they are just about to give away randomly. This adds to a feeling of authenticity, but the scam remains a scam.

One good thing about TikTok security is that they don’t really allow these scams, which is why the entire site is not riddled with them. But many still pass by the TikTok security checks and filters and aim to scam the audience viewing their content.

Catfishing

Catfishing is an age-old online scam that has successfully penetrated every social media application, and TikTok is no different. People on TikTok can pretend to be a member of your preferred gender and sexual orientation and try to entice you into a romantic scam. Many times the messages they send and the promises they make are too good to be true, and that is precisely the case.

The catfishers use manipulation tactics to get money from the people they are supposedly ''in love" with. And this is usually the case, so remember that if someone you don't know and have never met is asking you for money, understand that there is some shady business underway. Catfishers sometimes don't even ask for money. They do what they do to troll the person on the other end, which psychologically impacts the individual once the scam is revealed.

Remember that many catfishers scam people in a similar way over and over again. You can perform a Google Search and determine whether you are being scammed.

Bots

Bots on TikTok usually aim to direct you to malicious or scam websites. However, most bots must be more sophisticated to mimic humans without being caught. Many bots will interact with you just enough to redirect you to a different website or get some sensitive information out of you. If you are interacting with a stranger on TikTok who is making awkward demands or isn't speaking the way any human would, you should stop communicating with them immediately.

Crypto Scams

Crypto scams are the newest in the market, and many people are at risk of falling for them. This is because many people don't completely understand how cryptocurrencies work, and they have heard stories of people becoming billionaires overnight with the help of crypto trading. So they believe that the person in their DMs on TikTok is also trying to help them become billionaires instead of scamming them out of their own money.

But remember, every time you see a promise of quick and easy money, it is most likely a scam. Do not surrender your finances to a space that you do not understand.

Fake Accounts

All social media websites are riddled with fake accounts. People often impersonate celebrities and other influential people on TikTok to gain more followers. Many impersonators have clear indicators that indicate they are fake such as bad grammar, unconvincing and low-quality content, and promoting well-known scams, etc. However, many impersonators are more experienced and can convince vulnerable users that they are who they claim to be.

Many fake accounts promote scams such as cryptocurrency and NFTs; others even offer easy money and giveaways.

Manipulative Adult Content

Scam adult content is prevalent all over the internet and threatens TikTok's privacy and security as we know it. This content often shows enticing and seductive images and videos that promote scams and malicious websites. Much of the adult content on TikTok and other such websites also aims to get money for more similar content and ends up stealing money from people in the process.

While TikTok can often catch many of these scams, many others go completely unnoticed by TikTok security measures and end up scamming the users on the website.

Shady Businesses

TikTok has a marketplace that has been quite lucrative for the business. But it has added another method of TikTok security breaching to the website by fooling people. This includes the promotion of fake businesses that offer bogus products and services, often marketed as authentic and necessary. People fall for these scams because many products and services are offered at significantly reduced prices than what the real thing is worth.

The easiest way to avoid this scam is by cross-checking the price of an item sold with similar products available in the market. If the price is ridiculously different from the other products and services in the market, then you best believe it is an attempt to scam you.

Phishing

Phishing consists of email scams, so you cannot experience phishing over TikTok, the app. However, you can receive an email posing to be from TikTok in your inbox. The email could be offering you rewards, a badge, more followers, or anything similar in a guise to get your account’s credentials from you. If you click on the email and comply with its demands, you will be handing over the controls of your account to someone who likely has malicious intentions with it.