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October 9th, 2023
When connecting with old friends or new online friends, we usually rely on a variety of chat apps in order to keep in touch with who we want to. Google Hangouts is a popular chat app that a lot of people use to talk to old connections, talk to new online connections, or simply chat with friends. Even though chatting online with friends is a lot of fun, you also have to be careful when making new friends or love connections online. Scammers lurk every online chat room you can think of, meaning that Google Hangouts scams definitely exist. Here is what to watch out for when using Google Hangouts.
Why Would Someone Use Google Hangouts?
There are several reasons why someone might use Google Hangouts:
- Video conferencing: Google Hangouts provides a platform for video conferencing, allowing users to connect with friends, family, or colleagues through video calls.
- Instant messaging: Google Hangouts also offers instant messaging, allowing users to send messages and communicate with others in real-time.
- Screen sharing: With Google Hangouts, users can share their screens with others, making it easier to collaborate and work together on projects.
- Integration with other Google services: Hangouts is integrated with other Google services, such as Google Drive, making it easy to share documents and collaborate on projects.
- Accessibility: Google Hangouts can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, including smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers, making it a convenient way to communicate with others.
- Cost-effective: Google Hangouts is a free service, making it a cost-effective way to communicate with others, especially for businesses and organizations that need to keep costs down.
Types of Google Hangouts Scams
Job Interview Scams
A so-called work-from-home company tells you that they would like to interview you about the position you applied for. They tell you to go onto Google Hangouts for the interview, so you do so thinking they are going to video chat with you. Instead, they instant message you about the position making you wonder why they couldn’t do it over a phone or video call like most places do.
After the interview, they tell you that you got the job and give you a little over $1,000 to get the supplies you need. They mail you a check within a week or two and tell you to get a computer, desk, chair, office supplies, and other stuff from certain websites that are usually fake. The check is also fake, meaning you gave all the money back to the scammer for supplies you aren’t giving and now you’re responsible for paying the bank back for the fraudulent funds.
Romance Scams
A scammer meets you on a dating site with a stolen picture from a social media influencer and pretends to fall madly in love with you. They tell you that they hate chatting with you on the dating app, and want to chat with you on Google Hangouts instead. You go on Google Hangouts with them and they start telling you all these sweet romantic things that they are just copying and pasting from a playbook. The only reason they tell you to go on Google Hangouts is so that you don’t block their dating profile.
Once some time goes by, they start asking you for money for small things and then eventually tell you they need more money for a life or business emergency. Once they know you have no more money left to give, they stop talking to you and move on to their next victim.
Premium Girls Scams
Premium girls go on dating apps and encourage men to continue talking to them via Google Hangouts to prevent their dating profiles from getting reported. The men then meet the girls on Google Hangouts, where the girls tell them to transfer them the money if they want to see naughty images from them. Once the guys send over the money, the girls block them and never give them what they paid for.
Sextortion Scams
A girl entices you on a dating app and tells you to chat with them on Google Hangouts, usually because they want to prevent their dating site account from getting blocked. They then ask you to send them naughty pictures in exchange for theirs. Once you send over your personal pictures, the scammer can do one of two things. The first thing they can do is download malware on your device based off of a link you clicked and ask for money to take the malware off.
They can also take your inappropriate pictures and save them on their device. They then tell you that they will send your pictures to all your loved ones if you don’t give them money to stop. You cave and give them money so they don’t send it to anyone, and they still continue to bug you for more money.
How to Avoid Google Hangouts Scams
- Report any of these scams to the authorities immediately.
- Don’t send anyone you don’t know any inappropriate images.
- Don’t give money to or receive money from anyone on the internet.
- Always video chat or meet your online friends in person before getting in a serious relationship with them.
- Don’t believe that a company is legit if they won’t at least do a video or phone interview with you.
- Do your research on any work-from-home company before applying.
Social Catfish is Here to Help You with Google Hangouts Scams!
At Social Catfish, we can help you figure out if the person you are talking to is a scammer or not. We can reverse search any name, email address, phone number, address, social media username, or image to prevent Google Hangouts scams and see who it is you’ve really been talking to.
