WhatsApp and the scam targeting Latinos in the US: Unrealistic discounts, giveaways and fake stores

A new scam model has reached WhatsApp groups used by Latinos living in the United States. The Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (DDIA) published a study this week examining more than 18,400 unique messages in 3,300 Spanish-speaking WhatsApp groups between January 1 and September 1, 2025.

“All the public groups we look at have at least 30% United States-based +1 phone numbers and use Spanish as a primary language, so we know they comprise Latinos in the country as well as in the region.,” says Roberta Braga, one of DDIA’s founders and executive directors, in an audio message. “The Institute focuses on the Latino community, which is why the study has this focus; it has nothing to do with Latinos being more vulnerable to falling for these types of scams,” Braga explains. The report highlights two criminal strategies: fake giveaways and surveys, and fraudulent online sales.

According to the report titled WhatsApp Weaponized: How Scammers Target U.S. Latinos Through Public Groups, scammers impersonate brands like Shein, Temu, AT&T, Apple, and Walmart and offer fake sweepstakes and surveys, asking users to fill out a form or play a game in an app with the promise of winning a “mystery box,” gift cards, or exclusive promotions. These actions don’t appear to have an immediate impact on users, but they collect personal information that will be used for future fraud. Braga explains that although they haven’t quantified which brands are used more than others, the study found that Temu, Shein, Carrefour, Nespresso, and the Spanish brands Mahou, Durni, and Mercadona are among the most frequently impersonated.

Artificial intelligence is also used in the scams, but it is not the main tactic. “They don’t always do it, but we’ve started to see AI-generated images being used to make scams seem more credible,” Braga says.

In the case of fraudulent online sales, scammers create fake e-commerce stores on TikTok or Facebook and then promote them in these groups: they recycle videos used by real companies to build credibility before offering products that will never be shipped.

According to DDIA, the following are red flags that users should look out for to identify a possible scam.

Cheap smartphones and internet plans

The DDIA identified at least nine individuals aggressively promoting cutting-edge cell phones such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung S25 Ultra. In one instance, they offered a $100,000 Apple credit line or $250 gift cards, which the study considers a classic red flag.

These nine individuals also shared short videos of supposed buyers expressing satisfaction with the products and showing the items on camera.

Last-minute discounts

In another type of scam, the supposed seller offers to pay 50% of the price of a product in exchange for the consumer granting access to their registered online store account, which contains their bank details and address. The process works as follows: the scammer and the victim agree that the latter will fill an online shopping cart with the items they want. The victim then shares their account access with the scammer, who promises to pay only 50% of the total purchase. At that point, the scammer can clone the victim’s card, steal their account, and capture their personal information. One of the most common examples goes like this: “Fill your Walmart cart and send it to me. I’ll pay for you. You only have to pay me 50% of its value.”

The exact amount of money stolen from the Latino community has not been clarified. However, the report indicates that 70% of U.S. residents faced a scam attempt last year, representing an estimated loss of $64.8 billion.

The study is made up of three parts, and the remaining two will be published in the coming months. One will detail how digital criminals are forging ties with Latino communities, in particular immigrants, with the scammers targeting their vulnerabilities. The third part focuses on questionable investments and cryptocurrencies.

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