Password of the Day: Internet Fun or Dangerous Social Media Hoax?
When you are on the internet in this day in age, you always have to be cautious about whether games and deals are legitimate fun or a social media hoax. There is no shortage of ways to earn money, win prizes or benefit from free goods online. Contests, giveaways and company discounts are all over, and the chance to score some savings can be very enticing. Sometimes it takes nothing more than “liking and sharing” a page. Other times, it requires you to sign up with your identifying information. Unfortunately, scammers know that as well.
From social media hoaxes and fake contests to outright phishing attempts that steal your information, there is no end to the ways that criminals will try to take advantage of you. Adopting a suspicious air of caution is important whenever you sign up for something, enter a game or contest or any other type of activity that exposes your information.
For example, a new contest has made serious waves online, mostly for its originality but also for its red flags. A group known as MSCHF has had a lot of fun—and shared that fun with a vast community of online users—with innovative and inventive offerings. Their newest project, however—Password of the Day—is no exception.
The way it works is you sign up with your phone number to receive text messages from the company. Every day, users can request the “password of the day.” The reply will include the login credentials for some kind of online account. It might be an Amazon account equipped with Prime, a PayPal account with a $1,000 balance in it, a Disney+ account or any other kind of account. Not knowing is part of the game, after all. The trick is the first person to find the online account that those credentials go to gets to keep it.
Fun, right? Except for some media coverage of this “internet treasure hunt” that failed to point out where exactly these login credentials came from. That left people to speculate as to whether these credentials had been stolen or bought from the Dark Web. Is this the latest social media hoax?
Luckily, no. Upon further research about this game, showed that the creators had established all of the accounts themselves to give away. That might not have been clear at the onset to some users since the game was very mysterious. However, it is a legitimate game that does not steal from others.
It is hard to find fault with the people who were concerned about a social media hoax, though. After all, the internet is filled with too-good-to-be-true offers, fake coupons that require you to turn over your personal data and surveys that go on for page after page and result in a flood of spam emails. Furthermore, this game requires you to submit your cellphone number—in order to receive the text messages—and that can make people stop and think, too.
This should serve as a warning to all internet users to be careful of “crazy” deals and offers. More importantly, do your own homework before signing up for or rejecting a company. Simple Google searches can tell you a lot about whether or not it is a social media hoax. If you are still unsure, contact the company directly or err on the side of caution. In the meantime, enjoy the game when a company has proven itself to be trustworthy!
If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, you can call the Identity Theft Resource Center toll free at 888.400.5530 to speak with one of our advisors or live chat with an advisor on our website. They will help you create an action plan for your case while directing you on the next steps you need to take.
For on-the-go identity assistance, check out the free ID Theft Help App from ITRC.
You might also like…
How much information are you putting out there? It’s probably too much. To help you stop sharing Too Much Information, sign up for the In the Loop.
