How to spot and avoid YouTube comment scams

Most can spot YouTube scams, such as those promising cryptocurrencies that will “go to the Moon.”

In response, some have turned to YouTube comment scams.

Let’s say you’re watching Mr. Beast, Ninong Ry or ishowspeed.

You scrolled down to the comment section and noticed one thanking a random person for growing their investments.

READ: Creating kindness, one comment at a time

That’s one of the YouTube comment scams.

Unfortunately, some fall for them.

Be wise on the Internet by spotting and avoiding these schemes.

What are the types of YouTube comment scams?

You can often find these schemes under the most popular videos.

They gain millions of views, so the scams are more likely to find a victim.

Here are some examples from Google and a few recent ones:

• Comments on surveys or giveaways that promote pyramid schemes.
• “Pay Per Click” referral links in comments.
• Comments that falsely claim to offer full video content.
  For example, the YouTube comment scam might say the video is bad, so you should click its link instead. Then, it usually links to malware or an empty channel.
• Comments with links to counterfeit stores.
• Claims of earning huge sums of money from a phishing site.
• Investment scams like cryptocurrencies will allegedly multiply your money with no risks.
• Random folks impersonating celebrities to trick fans.

Nowadays, they’re more widespread due to artificial intelligence. Some use AI bots to post YouTube comment scams on numerous videos quickly. 

The technology also made it easier to create expertly worded comments, free from the common errors of previous online scams. 

How to spot and report YouTube comment scams

You can still spot YouTube comment scams despite their latest tools.

Avoiding offers that are too good to be true is still effective, and so are these methods:

1. Check the grammar and spelling. Despite the abundance of AI chatbots and spell checkers, some scammers still make this mistake. 
2. Watch out for the wording.
   For example, investment scams usually have this format: “Thank you [insert scammer’s name here] for growing my portfolio by [insert massive amount of money].”
3. Check the commenter’s profile. It might be sharing YouTube comment scams if it’s newly made or contains no videos.

If you suspect a comment is part of a scam, click or tap the three dots beside it. Then, select Report. 

Learn more about the other online scams here.