Social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are great platforms to connect with people and to reach out to millions of people out there for any cause/help and to spread awareness.
Nowadays an increasing spike has been seen on social media platforms wherein people are black-marketing medicines, oxygen cylinders, and much more. At this critical time if there’s anyone out there making videos or asking for money in a shady manner, do not give your hard-earned money away without verifying the details of the same. Donations are encouraged, help those who need it directly and encourage more people to help anyone they can.
Scams surrounding COVID-19 have exponentially increased especially on YouTube.
YouTube guidelines say “YouTube does not allow SPAM, SCAMS, or any other Malpractices. YouTube also doesn’t allow content where the primary purpose is to trick others into leaving YouTube for another platform.”
If any viewer or participant feels that any content violates the policy of YouTube can report it.
YouTube can withdraw Monetization if the content is misleading and has done so in the past as well. There have been many scams on YouTube and YouTube did take action upon the same.
On 13th December 2018, YouTube had disclosed for the first that it had removed over 224 million comments which were likely labelled as Spam. During the same period, YouTube removed 7.8 million videos for violating the policy of YouTube. The first report that came out initially included information about channels that were removed because of scams, misleading content.
To speed up detecting scams, violent content, child abuse/pornography YouTube resorted to AI (artificial intelligence).
What about online donation scams and how can you protect yourself?
Do not fall into an ‘emotional trap’ by campaigns that are run online. If you are looking to donate or to provide anyone with any resources (charity), kindly do research first. Search the name of the individual or any organization that you are looking to donate to or anyone who is asking you to donate. Run a search with the name by adding words like ‘complaint’, ‘review’, ‘scam’. Doing good and thorough research will help you save yourself from online scams.
The method of payment is extremely crucial here if someone asks you to pay by wiring money avoid doing it. This is exactly how scammers will ask you to pay. Also monitor the donation policy as some people can scam you by making you sign an online recurring donation on a monthly, daily basis, and so on. A scammer upon being asked will provide you with vague and unclear answers about where the money would go and will give you no accountability of the same once donated. Do not let scammers rush you into donating, if you see the person pressurizing you into donating money, be careful of the same.
Read some guidelines here:
Manipulated Media
A doctored content that may mislead people and could lead to definitive harm.
Suppression of census participation
Misleading participants about time, means, eligibility, or requirement about the census they are participating in.
Read all guidelines here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2801973?hl=en&ref_topic=9282365
Legal Suit on YouTube for circulating bogus videos
In 2020 July, Co-Founder of Apple Steve Wozniak sued YouTube over Bitcoin scam videos on YouTube. His Legal suit also has 17 victims who are made a party to the case. It is believed that the scammers had siphoned off millions of dollars from people around the world.
A similar scam had started on Twitter where hackers had hijacked accounts of over 100 known faces including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, and Biden. Twitter managed to get back the accounts.
Wozniak expressed his anger in a video conference where he explained why he sued the world’s biggest internet companies in California State Court.
Videos were surfacing on YouTube which had Wozniak’s picture and his name since 10th May 2020, these videos enticed viewers to send their bitcoins to a random digital address which promised them to return the double amount which was completely bogus and were taken down eventually by YouTube.
If you find any content that violates the guidelines of YouTube or find anything offensive kindly report the same.
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802027?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en
Be safe and don’t let scammers get to you.
YouTube has also been known for supporting Radical and extremists views on the other hand Channels like ‘STRINGS’ and many more channels were taken down for exposing Fake Liberals like Barkha Dutt, Shekhar Gupta, the wire and many more.
[author title=”Shefali Kochhar,” image=”http://goachronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot_20210321-160233_LinkedIn.jpg”]Intern, Goa Chronicle . I am an entrepreneur who has tried her hands on various ventures like Electric Vehicle Charging Station , Online Retail Store / Trading and few more ventures. I have done my entrepreneurship from Amity University Noida.[/author]
DISCLAIMER: This article reflects author’s view point. Goa Chronicle may or may not subscribe to views of the author
