Cybersecurity

Scam and Spam Accounts on Medium Are As Bad As Hate Speech and Defamation for Writers

Here is why and what we can do about it URGENTLY for vulnerable readers, too.

This story goes beyond ordinary spam that happen for many years which we got used to. It is about the alarming and critical cybersecurity threats of phishing and social engineering attempts, undermining the platform’s authenticity and security.

Lately, there has been an alarming surge in sophisticated scamming and spamming accounts that specifically target established writers. These fake accounts go to great lengths, using identical names and even the photos of writers to deceive unsuspecting readers. It’s a distressing trend exploiting trust and authenticity on the platform.

This brief and important post highlights the rising number of counterfeit Medium accounts created to collect information from users with malicious intentions. Their focus on established writers with substantial followings raises significant concerns regarding our safety and security within this platform.

Fake accounts on Medium pose a grave threat to writers akin to hate speech and defamation due to their potential to manipulate, deceive, and damage a writer’s reputation and readership.

These fraudulent accounts peddle false information and misleading content and erode trust within the Medium community. Just as hate speech and defamation can tarnish a writer’s credibility and cause harm, these scam accounts can adversely impact a writer’s authenticity and create a hostile environment, affecting both their content’s visibility and the readers’ trust.

Identifying and reporting these accounts is crucial to maintaining the platform's integrity and safeguarding writers from reputational damage.

Having fallen victim to this several times and witnessed it affecting other writers who contribute to my publications, I find it imperative to raise awareness, educate my readers, and advocate for Medium to implement more proactive measures.

Risks of Fake Accounts on Medium

Fake accounts designed for scamming and spamming on Medium present multifaceted challenges with various implications for users and the platform. These accounts often operate with deceptive intentions, spreading false information, misleading content, or attempting to scam users for financial gain.

They erode trust within the Medium community, adversely impacting user experiences by cluttering feeds with low-quality or fraudulent material.

Such accounts can undermine the platform’s credibility, tarnish genuine content, and create a hostile environment for creators and readers alike.

From a user perspective, encountering these accounts can lead to a loss of trust, a waste of time, and potential exposure to scams or misinformation.

For Medium as a platform, scam, and spam accounts threaten its integrity, potentially driving away genuine creators and audiences.

Addressing this issue requires a multi-pronged approach involving robust content moderation tools, community reporting mechanisms, and algorithmic improvements to detect and eliminate such accounts.

What can Medium do?

While Medium’s response to reported spam accounts is appreciable, there are instances where their reactive approach results in delayed notifications.

Recently, I encountered an incident where, despite prompt action from the support team upon reporting, the notification took over 24 hours, perhaps due to weekend constraints. Regrettably, this delay allowed spammers to mislead my readers, causing unwarranted disappointment and consuming valuable time that could have been avoided.

Therefore, implementing stricter verification processes for account creation, bolstering user reporting features, and enhancing AI-driven detection algorithms could mitigate the proliferation of these harmful accounts.

Furthermore, educating users about identifying and reporting suspicious content is crucial in fostering a safer and more trustworthy environment on the platform.

How can users recognize fake accounts personifying established writers?

These fraudulent accounts typically lack followers and haven’t authored any stories themselves. They are non-members with no star or heart icons in their profile names.

To verify the legitimacy of a writer, it’s advisable to examine their genuine account for recognizable patterns in followers, membership, and published stories. Identifying spam accounts often involves noticing irregularities in language and style.

These accounts might employ unconventional tactics, such as using all capital letters to capture attention. However, seasoned Medium writers understand that typing in all caps is discouraged as it’s considered inappropriate, akin to shouting in written communication.

Here are a few examples.

The following instance exemplifies a crucial red flag: the entirety of the message is composed in all caps. Moreover, any reputable writer on this platform refrains from sharing personal phone numbers, marking another warning sign. While my regular readers know my residence in Australia and wouldn’t expect a USA number, unsuspecting individuals might fall prey to the allure of such misleading messages.

In the following example, the scammers included dots within “Telegram” and introduced an underscore just before the final letter of my surname. Furthermore, the sentence itself is grammatically incorrect, which raises suspicions about its authenticity.

Here’s an example from another popular writer, Aiden (Illumination Gaming), depicting similar characteristics raising red alerts immediately. Please see how cleverly they created the response by playing words like Whatsapp and Writer’s Community to prevent algorithmic detection.

Aiden shared his unfortunate experiences in two stories adding some humor to this serious matter. You can learn from his experience.

To highlight the gravity of this situation, one of my cherished readers who is also a Friend of Medium, Shirley Willett, aged 90, fell prey to a malicious WhatsApp call invitation on my article about Medium Friendship. She believed it was from me and, out of goodwill, shared her email, expressing her inability to use WhatsApp but welcoming communication through email. Unfortunately, her good will inadvertently granted the scammer access to her email account. I hope they don’t scam Shirley.

To compound matters, another reader mistook a fraudulent offer as coming from me, reached out to the number provided, and ended up losing money to a scam operation named Writing Club. Regrettably, despite my efforts to inform my loyal audience about social engineering and phishing through a previous post, it seems the message did not reach them effectively.

Conclusions and Takeaways

The rising prevalence of counterfeit accounts on Medium poses a threat far beyond mere inconvenience. It’s a challenge that compromises our community's trust, integrity, and safety.

They disrupt the essence of genuine engagement, clouding our feeds with dubious content and eroding the credibility of authentic creators.

For users, encountering these accounts risks exposure to scams and misinformation, a loss of valuable time, and a dent in trust. As for Medium, this jeopardizes its authenticity, potentially alienating both creators and audiences.

A proactive stance by Medium is crucial: tighter verification processes during account creation, fortified and innovative reporting tools, and enhanced algorithms are pivotal to stem this surge of harmful accounts.

Education is equally vital. Empowering users with the knowledge to identify and report these counterfeit accounts is key to safeguarding the integrity of Medium.

Recognizing the hallmarks of these fake personas — lack of followers, non-member status, and unconventional language usage — can strengthen our collective vigilance.

In essence, safeguarding Medium’s integrity is a shared responsibility. Combating these spurious accounts demands a collaborative effort between the platform and its users.

By improving the reporting mechanisms, enhancing detection algorithms, and empowering users with the tools to recognize these counterfeit accounts, we can strengthen Medium’s foundation and promote a safer, more credible space for creators and readers alike.

Medium’s unique appeal lies in its genuine community. Let’s band together to preserve that authenticity.

I’ve previously addressed this concern in two separate stories, but regrettably, Medium’s algorithm didn’t facilitate their distribution to my readership, resulting in minimal views. My readers, including subscribers after each incident, were surprised that they did not see these important stories.

It’s my hope that the Medium Staff, including Scott Lamb overseeing distribution, acknowledge the significance of this matter, which greatly impacts the credibility of writers and the safety of readers.

If this rising pattern of spam and scam account persists, there’s a massive risk that Medium’s reputation could suffer, potentially affecting the trust of our valuable paying subscribers and dedicated writers delighting our readers.

As an established writer, editor, curator, and Medium Friend, I don’t anticipate an apology for the recent disruption, annoyance, loss of reputation, and waste of time caused, but I do request Medium’s cooperation including senior leadership (Tony Stubblebine, Brittany Jezouit, Buster Benson, Adrienne Gibbs, Alex Benzer, and Ariel Meadow Stallings) in ensuring visibility for this critical story among my dedicated readers so that they can be informed.

ILLUMINATION editors caringly and dedicatedly crafted this crucial story for our 25,000+ writers and 74,000+ followers, and notice how few views this significant piece received.

Urgent Notice: Beware of Fake Accounts Impersonating Influential Writers

While we appreciate the attention from Medium Staff when they follow our accounts, their inadvertent following of fake accounts can worsen the situation. It inadvertently encourages the proliferation of fake accounts and creates confusion among readers, undermining trust and authenticity within the platform.

I believe and trust that it’s reasonable to expect Medium to prioritize the safety and security of its users, which includes addressing critical issues like these.

As a reader, writer, editor, curator, and FoM, I consider Medium my home, dedicating my precious time and efforts toward the expansion and enhancement of this wonderful platform.

Scamming is such a big societal issue. It was a tough year for me in 2022. Dealing with scamming was so distressing that it pushed me to a breaking point. For the first time ever, I had to reach out for helpline because the pain and frustration were just too much to bear.

I appreciate the prompt assistance provided by the Medium Support and Trust team. Whenever I’ve approached them with such concerns, they’ve been responsive and acted swiftly to safeguard my account.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers

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