Warning Issued Over Social Media Scam That’s Cost Thousands

Security firm Avast have issued an urgent warning for users of Instagram and YouTube as a heartfelt scam video has started to emerge in recent times.

This video is of an eight-etar old boy who is speaking Russian about how he needs urgent cancer treatment for his lungs otherwise he will die unfortunately, the scam appears to have been successful.

It’s said that the video has been used to pray on vulnerable and good people who are just looking to help a young child who may well have been caught up in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in recent months.

The scam has managed to fleece people out of £195,000 collectively with these donations coming from 8,600 people who were not wise enough to realise a scam when they saw one, even when they exited either Instagram or YouTube to make a donation.

Warning issued over latest scam video

Something else that should have been a huge red flag for people looking to donate was the website that this page was being hosted on, which wasn’t something familiar such as GoFundMe, instead, it was on a website called Drove.com, which has a very low score when it comes to scammers being active on it.

This clip is only one minute long but it could be perceived as that heart-wrenching that people have fallen for it, which is very unfortunate, but with this warning, hopefully, it is the end for others that may well have fallen foul of it.

In the video, it is a young Russian boy speaking, but it has been accompanied by subtitles for different speakers such as English and French as he talks about what he is going through and a plea to get him the treatment.

Video has already fleeced people over thousands

‘I appeal to your hearts,’ he pleads. ‘I don’t want to lie in bed and choke. Don’t ignore me. Don’t leave me lying in bed suffering. I am only 8 years old. I didn’t plan to die at eight years old. Lung cancer can advance and slowly take my lungs completely.’

It’s easy to see why people’s natural instinct to help people – especially a young child – comes into play, but you must now stay vigilant and make sure to check anything out and ask for a second opinion before making a donation online.