Fake followers scam: how fake social media accounts play

Recently Mumbai Police has tracked the social media page of many celebrities and high profile users, in which many fake and paid followers have been seen. After this, Mumbai Police has planned to interrogate Bollywood celebrities Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. Apart from these celebrities, many high profile users including builders, sports persons and Bollywood personalities have decided to track their social media handles like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. The social media handles of these high profile personalities will be tracked by the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) and Cyber ​​Cell of Mumbai Police. What is the story behind this high profile social media fake followers scam, we are going to tell you today.

Image Source- Google | Image By- Harshit Harsh

India is a fast emerging market

At present, India is an emerging market of social media and Internet worldwide. The popularity of social media platforms and the rate of activation of users has steadily increased in the last few years. Money is also earned by creating accounts on popular social media platforms such as Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. This game goes on such that on any platform you have more users or followers, you can earn money by paying partnership on those platforms. These celebrities earn a lot through their paid promotions on social media platforms.

Fake followers scam

Recently, this social media fake followers scam is also a result of the same gross earning. In a rapidly changing digital environment, people spend more and more time on mobile screens. Most of these contributions are time spent on social media platforms. In such a situation, we often see an advertisement while scrolling Facebook or Instagram. Seeing the products shown in the advertisement, sometimes there is a desire to know more about that product. Digital advertising rests entirely on this.

Hard earned money through paid partnership

When we see any of the favorite Bollywood or sports stars in TV and newspaper advertisements, we try to buy the product used by them. We also look forward to purchasing products through advertisements shown on social media or other digital platforms. When a celebrity shows or tells about any product through his personal profile, our credibility about that product increases even more.

Followers' game

Because of this, celebrities try to increase more and more followers on their social media platforms, so that they can have paid partnerships with more and more brands. Celebrities often keep in touch with agencies that increase followers, likes and comments by taking money to increase the number of their social media followers. Celebrities also spend money to increase their followers. All agencies that increase followers follow a fixed rate of increase in followers, one likes and comments. The agencies charge for this and carry out this entire process by fake followers or bots.

These agencies benefit from these agencies as well as celebrities. Due to the increase in the followers of celebrities, they will get paid partnership offers from more brands and they will be able to earn more. However, it is a cybercrime. Creating a fake account on any social media platform comes under cybercrime because you fill your false information in a fake account. Due to this, the balance of digital space is affected.

What is the whole matter?

Mumbai's Joint Commissioner, Vinay Kumar Choubey, who is leading the investigation team of fake social media followers scam, issued a statement saying that we investigated and found that about 54 firms were involved in this game of promoting fake followers. The scam is being investigated in detail with the help of Crime Branch and Cyber ​​Cell.

These agencies also make money by creating fake accounts of celebrities. A few years ago, a fake account was running in the name of Bhumi Trivedi, who was a Bollywood singer and Indian Idol contestant, about which Singer had also filed a complaint. Mumbai Police is currently investigating this scam by checking over 176 high profile accounts.