Phishing Scheme Targeting Youtubers’ Subscriber Lists

News has been circulating in YouTube circles that subscribers of highly visible creators have been getting emails claiming to be offering free content from these subscribers. Over the last months, instances of these kinds of scams have increased. These emails claim that free 100 dollar gift cards and music.

Creators like Philip Defranco have been vocal about it, alerting their subscribers in more recent videos and tweets that they have not been sending anything out and not to open these emails. If you’ve been receiving any of these emails yourself, please reach out to confirm that they are legitimate and if they aren’t, flag them and report them to your email provider.

While it’s known that most scams are geared toward those who have limited or no knowledge of the internet and technology, but the scams have increasingly become more ambitions, preying on the hopes of people connecting with those that they admire and follow as celebrities.

With work and communication becoming more centralized to the internet, it’s imperative to become well versed in signs of phishing schemes to protect yourself and your personal information. By taking just a few steps, you can protect yourself.

The antiphishing.org website suggests being wary of emails and texts that requests urgent personal information and avoiding filling out this information through email. Instead, go to the site itself to complete this information. It never hurts to double check the source as well, as many of the links will lead you to dangerous websites with similar names to their intended look alike. Some of these rules may seem silly and overly cautious, but they are designed to protect you. If something seems off, follow your instincts and use caution.