خدعة على تطبيق «فيتبيت» تُكبد أمريكية خسائر مالية هائلة

A woman named Karen spent months of her life in suffering after falling victim to an online scam through the "Fitbit" app, which she used to track her physical activity. The story was revealed by cybersecurity researcher Malwarebytes, turning her fitness tracking experience into a financial loss of $65,000 and terrifying threats to her family, according to the website "Vice."

Innocent Admiration

The incident began with a like on one of Karen's posts in January 2020 from someone claiming to be named Charles Hilary. Communication quickly moved to another platform, as the scammer began to build a relationship of trust, exploiting the feelings of interest and support among users.

Demands and Deception

Under various pretexts, the scammer asked Karen for help in receiving alleged funds from a security company, after which the financial demands began to escalate: first a shipping fee of $3,900, then thousands of dollars for fake documents. With each hesitation from her, the trickster provided new justifications, ranging from frozen accounts to claims of illegal profits.

Psychological Threats

When Karen tried to disengage, the scammer resorted to threats, including sending an invitation to her son's wedding with a warning about alleged "Russian killers," in addition to introducing a second persona to offer fake support in exchange for additional payments.

Warnings for Readers

Cybersecurity expertise outlines several warning signs:

• Rapid transition to external platforms
• Illogical timing of messages relative to the declared time zones
• Suspicious documents
• The "good cop, bad cop" psychological manipulation tactic
• Psychological pressure and threats

Karen's experience confirms that social media scams can lead to significant financial and emotional losses, and that sharing and discussing experiences is the way to protect oneself from falling into the same trap.