Social media accounts with blue checks can still be fake pages

A blue check mark no longer guarantees that a social media page is genuine. Police in Vietnam’s Quang Ngai province say scammers are exploiting verified-looking Facebook, TikTok and other accounts as a credibility shield before leading victims into elaborate fraud schemes.

The province’s cyber-security and high-tech crime prevention division has received multiple reports involving demands for online deposits. The offers have included hotel and homestay bookings, train and air tickets, and courses. A common feature, police said, is the use of fan pages displaying a blue check mark to contact and interact with potential victims.

The mark is generally understood as confirmation that an account belongs to a public figure, company, brand or organization. That reputation makes verified pages appear more official and reliable to many users. Police say scammers take advantage of this perception by choosing identities likely to exert strong psychological influence, including agencies, businesses, well-known people and popular pages.

The fake pages may change their names repeatedly, while administrator information can appear to be based overseas. Scammers promote posts and videos, inflate engagement and add positive comments that describe good experiences and professional service. Once they have built trust, they present an attractive or urgent pretext, such as a partnership, discount, charity activity, recruitment offer, reward, investment opportunity or request requiring immediate action.

The pressure often comes through messages such as “Only a few places left,” “You must confirm and pay the deposit today,” or “The system is about to close.” After a victim transfers the deposit, the scammers may call to say the payment arrived but used the wrong transfer details. They then ask for a second transfer under their instructions and promise that customer service or accounting staff will handle the issue.