DongIT featured in TV broadcast Radar on misleading Instagram ads
Misleading Instagram Ads Exploit Dutch Celebrities for Fraud
In the broadcast on Monday, October 21, 2024, Radar highlights misleading ads on Instagram that use Dutch celebrities to deceive people. Scammers post ads that resemble news articles from major media outlets, like AD, with shocking headlines such as “Celebrity Arrested” or “Scandal Involving Dutch Star.” Sometimes, they even go as far as falsely reporting a celebrity's death to draw attention.
In these fake ads, well-known Dutch figures like Alberto Stegeman, Annechien Steenhuizen, and Herman den Blijker are used without their knowledge or consent. These ads lead people to fraudulent websites with false promises of easy money, aiming to exploit unsuspecting users financially. Instead of profiting, victims often lose their money, which can result in significant financial distress.
A key question raised by Radar: is Meta, Instagram’s parent company, doing enough to combat these misleading ads?
For this episode, Radar visited the office of DongIT, where ethical hacker Wouter van Dongen explained how these scam websites operate and revealed the technical tricks used to trap victims.
