A scam I almost fell for recently involved a fake clothing brand on Instagram. The page looked completely legit with a clean aesthetic, high quality photos, models wearing trendy streetwear, and a follower count that seemed real at first glance. As a college student who likes supporting smaller brands and finding good deals, the page pulled me in immediately. They advertised a “24-hour sale,” and I added a hoodie and sweatpants to my cart before I really stopped to think about it.

The purpose of the scam was clear: use digital manipulation to trick people into buying clothes that don’t exist. They used AI-generated product shots, fake customer testimonials, and stolen photos to build a sense of trust. Their posts were timed perfectly to make the brand feel active and popular. This is exactly how a lot of these scams work. They build a false sense of credibility and urgency so you feel pressured to buy before you have time to double check anything.

What made it almost believable was how well the page was constructed. But right before I bought, I noticed a few red flags: most of the comments were bots, the tagged photos didn’t show real customers, and their website had no return policy, address, or customer support information. I also recognized some of their product pictures from another brand’s website, which confirmed something was off. That’s the point where I backed out entirely.

The reason this stuck with me is because I’ve seen a lot of people fall for this exact kind of scam. I know other students, friends, and people online who ordered from similar pages and never received anything. It’s a common tactic now, especially targeting young people who shop through Instagram or TikTok. These scam pages look professional because they use AI tools, editing apps, and fake engagement to appear legit.

Looking back, it would’ve been easy to get tricked. Anyone can fake credibility on social media, and when you’re scrolling quickly, it’s easy to miss the signs. To avoid scams like this, it helps to:

• Look at tagged photos from real customers

• Search the brand’s name + “scam” before buying

• Check if the website has a real return policy and business address

• Avoid pages that only accept CashApp, Zelle, or sketchy payments

• Look for real engagement, not just emoji comments

Almost getting scammed taught me how important it is to slow down and verify anything before buying online. Digital manipulation makes it extremely easy for fake brands to look real, and the more we understand the signs, the less likely we are to fall for them. Hopefully, sharing this helps someone else catch the red flags before it’s too late.