This didn't take long. I recently came across a scam alert posted to the Amarillo Police Department's Facebook page, which is ironic for reasons that you will soon understand.
The recent scam alert involves a new, super popular social media app.
Have You Jumped On The Threads Hype Train Yet?
I was a day late to the party. I sat doing my morning show, and realized that the latest and greatest in social apps had dropped without me knowing it. I quickly fixed the problem.
Threads is the name of the new app. It's from Meta, the same company responsible for Facebook and Instagram; just in case you're completely unplugged from all of this nonsense.
The app exploded in popularity. It shattered numerous records as people flocked to what was hailed as the Twitter killer. For several days, the app was an ocean of hype and hope for what could be.
Scammers Smelled A Prime Opportunity And Jumped On It
This is where the scam alert comes in. As people rushed to download the latest and greatest, scammers decided to enter the arena and pull some of their usual shenanigans.
According to the scam alert, one of the big risks people are facing comes from installing fake versions of the app. Basically, people follow a link, download and install the app, and now have malicious software potentially installed on their device.
That malicious software can do all kinds of scary stuff, like steal all kinds of private and personal data.
APD put out several great recommendations on keeping yourself safe amidst the hype. One of my favorites is make sure you are installing the actual app by checking the publisher of the app. Make sure what you're downloading came from the actual publisher of the app.
Check their post for more tips.
While the hype has pretty much died for me personally (I'm really not the target audience for these apps), Threads is still surging in popularity. Be sure to think before you try jumping on the hype train and make sure you're on the right one.