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How scammers took advantage of #BlueForSudan

After a Sudanese protester was killed, there was a wave of sympathy on social media. But bogus accounts are exploiting the #BlueForSudan campaign for their own benefit.

After a Sudanese protester was killed, there was a wave of sympathy on social media – but scammers took advantage.
In early June, 26-year-old activist Mohamed Mattar was shot and killed in Khartoum. He was one of 100 protesters who died in a government crackdown on a sit-in.
Blue was his favourite colour, and at the time of his death, the avatar on his social media pages displayed a deep shade similar to the colour of the ocean.
Some of Mohamed’s friends and family changed their avatars to the same colour that he used. Within days, a worldwide movement had started: #BlueForSudan.
But along with the authentic outpouring of support came scammers who used the trend to harvest likes, shares and followers.
So how did β€œsympathy scammers” exploit the crisis for their own benefit? We speak to the teenage boy who took them on.

Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Reha Kansara

(Photo caption: Some of the fake accounts / Photo credit: Instagram)

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24 minutes

Last on

Sat 29 Jun 2019 10:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 28 Jun 2019 21:06GMT
  • Sat 29 Jun 2019 04:32GMT
  • Sat 29 Jun 2019 10:32GMT

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