We all know that there are scams everywhere these days, but most people don’t really know what to look for in social media. How do you know when something is a scam or when they are actually as expert as they say? It can be difficult, but there are a few signs that will let you know when something isn’t right.

1. Promises of earning money. Social media is great for networking and making valuable business connections. It’s not great for earning money. If someone promises that you can build a full income with their help on Twitter or Facebook, steer away. You may earn indirectly, by driving traffic to your website or email list, but actually earning with social media is not very likely and people who suggest this are usually trying to get your information or charging a fee for their “expertise”.

2. Too many automated announcements. Some people do use auto announcements on Twitter or other forms of social networking sites, but if you see one particular program being used everywhere and the same exact message is sent out, you should investigate before falling for it. Many scams have been perpetuated this way, with the same exact message being sent out through hundreds or even thousands of users. Do your research, and then check out the actual site if you feel it’s a good idea.

3. Links take you to different sites. In some cases, what is being announced on the social media network doesn’t match the link. The text is only designed to make you want to check out the link, where you may be prompted to download something or sign up for something to give away your personal information.

4. People befriend you only to pump products. It’s happened to all of us, you start following someone who followed you on Twitter and they start sending you DMs trying to sell you something. While this could just be very aggressive marketing, in some cases, it is far more serious and can lead to actual scams that people are promoting. Pyramid schemes are particularly popular for this since they get people to sign up under the belief they can earn hundreds by following a few simple steps, which unfortunately involve spamming everyone in their social network with the scheme.

5. Ask you to give out too much information. Facebook is particularly bad for this in that many apps there feign harmlessness but request far too much information for their purposes. Be careful whenever anyone is asking you for information that could be used to guess your passwords or even your “secret question” for recovering passwords on some sites.

Social media is a great way to brand yourself, get your business recognized and drive traffic to your site, but the fact remains that these sites are also ripe with scams. A little common sense and some investigation can go a long way toward preventing problems with scammers, so stay alert!

What scams have you seen on the Internet?