'I let my guard down': Scammers targeting small business owners with Instagram takeover trick – CNA

SINGAPORE: Small business owner Dayana Rizal, 27, is no stranger to dealing with online buyers, but the one she encountered on Oct 3 seemed particularly – in her words – “harmless”. Ms Dayana, who sold clay mugs on her now-defunct Instagram page potekceramics, said the buyer was a sweet talker who seemed clueless about how to purchase her mugs online. The buyer, using a private Instagram account with a few hundred followers, sent Ms Dayana a direct message with a screenshot of her wares, saying: “I want to buy this.” “There were multiple items inside (the screenshot), so in my head I was thinking like, there are so many (products) inside – which one do you want to buy?” Ms Dayana told CNA, recalling her exchange with the buyer during some lull time at work. “So I just assumed it was like a clueless makcik or aunty who was blur and didn’t know how to order through Instagram. I think I let my guard down also because the person behind the account was calling me ‘dear’ and all that.” Ms Dayana, who works in a pottery studio and conducts workshops, then referred the buyer to her website, asking them to…
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