Any cyber security experts here? Phishing-related question.

[NigellaWannabe1]

Hi,

I have a very large Tik Tok account (400k followers) and my login accounts were phished yesterday. The phishers (or whatever the technical term) logged me out of my account and started posting about fake courses in my name to scam my followers. They also emailed me and texted me asking for money. Obviously, I've blocked them without a response.

So far, I have logged the issue with Action Fraud - they will get back to me within 28 days...! I have also reported the issue with Tik Tok, and know that some of my followers and other TT creators have reported it too. So far, I haven't heard from TT and I have to say I haven't got huge confidence that they will respond any time soon.

I also created a new TT account in the same platform to start from scratch 😢. An hour ago, out of the blue, the phishers (?) sent me a text from my old account into the new one with the new password - as if giving me access back to the account.

I don't know what to make of it. Why would they give me access voluntarily? Could it be that they want to hack my computer that way? To clarify, this is the new password - to log in, I need my user name and password only. Alternatively, could it be that TT have actually started acting on things and are threatening them somehow? It seems less likely to me.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Can anybody help?

Don't log in with password details or links sent by the phishers

Can you not do a password reset through TikTok direct using the password reset link or have they accessed your account and changed the email address/contact information associated to the account so that you don't get thePW reset links?

As and when you get access to your account please enable multi factor authentication if you can.

www.tiktok.com/safety/youth-portal/keep-your-account-secure?lang=en

Thanks for the link. The scammers have changed my password, email account details and so on, so I am completely locked out of the account. I have not logged in using the password they've sent me.

I am not sure what else I can do now that I have reported the issue to Tik Tok and Action Fraud, but they are not replying. Should I be doing anything else? I have also alerted my bank.

Also, what further damage can they potentially do? I'm worried about identity theft. How can I protect myself against that?

Bumping up

Can you delete or suspend your account? It sounds like ransom rather than phishing. Google it, there's a lot of it about. You might be able to get advice online. National cyber security Centre have advice for small businesses.
I'm guessing you need to overhaul your account, email etc security

Unfortunately, they sent me a link to my account that looked exactly like a link Tik Tok would send - same logo, font, language, they refered to me by name and so on. I logged in and that was that. So I am fully locked out of my account now.

I wouldn't want to delete it in any case. I will do everything I can to recover it, if it is possible at all. 410k are many, many followers and it is extremely difficult to replicate that kind of success in a new account.

I'm not a cybersecurity expert, but that does sound like a troubling situation, NigellaWannabe1. It's good that you've taken steps to report the issue to Action Fraud and Tik Tok.
Regarding the unexpected text with the new password, it's indeed a puzzling situation. It could be a tactic by the phishers to gain your trust or potentially try to manipulate you in some way. However, it's crucial to remain cautious.
As a precaution, be sure to change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication on your accounts to enhance their security. If you decide to seek professional assistance, you can explore options like hireahacker.co.uk. Stay safe online!

Do you make money with 500k followers on TikTok? How much? Just curious.