Unofficial Starbucks Instagram account aims to scam followers

Cybercriminals are setting their sights on the popular photo sharing service Instagram as a way to either gain profits or steal personal information.

According to social risk management firm ZeroFox, a recently created Instragram account posing as the official Starbucks Coffee account lures followers with a description that reads “First 35,000 Followers Will Deserve $35 Gift Card! Dm You The Information!”

While experts at ZeroFox are unsure if the account is part of a botnet, they believe it could easily be leveraged to infect users with malware via a malicious link sent through direct messages on the platform that could be disguised as a discount code.

Miscreants could also be creating accounts like these to build up the following on the account in order to then sell the credentials, a tactic known as “account flipping,” according to ZeroFox.