Identifying Scams and Data Manipulation The Experience In today’s digital world, we are constantly surrounded by information, but not all of it is honest. Recently, I encountered a social media scam while scrolling through Instagram. It was a “limited-time giveaway” from what appeared to be a well-known retail brand. The post looked very professional, using official logos and high-quality images, which made it seem completely legitimate. At first, I almost believed it because of how realistic it looked.  The Purpose and Execution The main purpose of this scam was data manipulation and identity theft. The scammers were trying to collect personal information such as names, emails, and phone numbers, which…