In today’s digital age, social media influencers hold a unique position of power and influence. Brands want to work with you, followers want to connect with you, and cybercriminals want to exploit you. One of the most dangerous yet overlooked threats to influencers is phishing and social engineering attacks.
It’s not flashy. It doesn’t rely on advanced hacking tools or coding skills. It’s simple psychology: fooling people into trusting the wrong thing. For influencers, this threat hits especially hard because it targets what you’ve worked so hard to build—your reputation, relationships, and livelihood.
What Does a Phishing Attack Look Like?
You’ve probably seen it before. A direct message or email lands in your inbox, offering:
- An exciting brand collaboration opportunity
- An urgent notice about a copyright violation of your content
- A promise to get your account verified quickly
- An unexpected request for account confirmation or password reset
All it takes is one click on a malicious link, and suddenly, your world flips upside down. Your login credentials are stolen, malware is installed on your device, or hackers gain access to your account.
Sound dramatic? It’s not. I’ve seen too many cases where influencers lose access to their accounts overnight. Imagine waking up to find someone else posting on your behalf, messaging your followers, or demanding a ransom to get your account back.
Why Influencers Are Prime Targets
Influencers are valuable targets for cybercriminals for three main reasons:
- Trust and Influence: Your followers trust you, which makes you a perfect vehicle for spreading malicious links, scams, or misinformation.
- High Visibility: The larger your platform, the more attractive you are to attackers looking to profit from your account or reputation.
- Speed of Opportunity: Influencers often operate at a fast pace, answering messages, emails, and opportunities quickly—sometimes too quickly.
This last point is crucial. Phishing works because it preys on urgency. Cybercriminals craft messages designed to make you act now before you have time to think. “Click this link within 24 hours, or your account will be suspended!” It’s all about manipulating your emotions.
How to Protect Yourself
So, how do you stay one step ahead of phishing and social engineering scams? Here are five simple but effective rules to live by:
1. Verify Before You Trust
If you get an email or message about a brand deal, verification badge, or security issue, pause. Verify the sender’s legitimacy before engaging. Reach out to the company directly through official channels, not through the email or message you received.
2. Avoid Clicking Unverified Links
Links are where most attacks happen. Before you click, hover your mouse over the link to see where it leads. If it looks suspicious or uses shortened URLs like bit.ly without context, don’t touch it.
3. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA is a game-changer. Even if someone steals your password, they can’t access your account without the second verification step. Make sure MFA is enabled on all your accounts, especially your email and social media profiles.
4. Slow Down and Think
Urgency is a red flag. If a message pushes you to act immediately, take a breath and reassess. Real opportunities and real platform notifications won’t demand immediate action with vague threats.
5. Keep Personal and Business Separate
Use a dedicated email address for business inquiries. Avoid sharing personal information, like your phone number or home address, unless absolutely necessary. This reduces exposure and risk.
Stay Vigilant, Stay Bulletproof
Phishing and social engineering attacks are designed to be sneaky. Hackers know they don’t need to break through firewalls or write sophisticated code to exploit you. All they need is for you to trust the wrong email, click the wrong link, or share the wrong piece of information.
The good news? By staying cautious, verifying requests, and enabling strong security tools like MFA, you can stop these attacks dead in their tracks.
Remember: Cybersecurity isn’t about being paranoid—it’s about being prepared. As an influencer, your brand is your business, and you owe it to yourself (and your followers) to stay secure.
Stay safe. Stay bulletproof.
Ready to learn more about staying secure online? Follow me on social media @drericcole or tune into the BulletProof Cyber podcast for practical tips on cybersecurity and protecting your digital life.