As part of a special investigation into the new scam, SBS Spanish received an overwhelming response from Latin Americans saying they had been targeted.
People from Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and Honduras, among other Latin American countries, all reported having their social media identities "cloned".
Scam victims and experts shared tips on how people can avoid being targeted.
The scam is all the more painful for Latin American people because social media is such an important way for them to keep in contact with their loved ones overseas, share images and tell personal stories.
But this relatively innocent way of disclosing personal data is putting many people in a serious bind.
Highlights:
- Criminals copy social media profiles of Latin Americans in Australia, by using their photos and personal information to contact loved ones and deceive them, taking money from them.
- Scammers pose as officials of airlines such as Avianca or Aeromexico and request money from people to solve problems with an alleged shipment of merchandise or flights.
- Experts say it's best to avoid having public information on networks, especially family and friendship ties so that criminals have fewer tools to commit fraud.
This “cloning” or impersonation of profiles on social networks is a type of scam that is increasingly targeting people from Latin American countries living in Australia.
Firstly, criminals create a fake profile that looks identical to a person's original profile.
To do this, they collect all possible information from social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, including photographs, videos, and personal data to craft a credible or 'cloned' profile, which they use to then impersonate the victim.
A Colombian victim of the scam, who we will call César*, says the fraudsters not only used his photographs, job, and company details in the “cloned” profile but went as far as copying over videos he had posted on his profile in the past.
SBS Spanish understands that the more credible the profile, the more likely scammers are to achieve their aim: to write to family and friends from the "cloned" profile and earn their trust.
Then, the impersonator contacts loved ones to tell them that they need help to pay for an outstanding balance for a shipment, recover lost suitcases or purchase a plane ticket urgently. 
Cybersecurity expert Yago Jesus says the Spanish-speaking community in Australia is a popular target of these types of scammers.
Scam victims are often contacted through WhatsApp. Source: AAP Image/AP Photo/Patrick Sison
They assume that Latin American people living in Australia have limited means through which to stay in touch with their friends and family back home and therefore rely heavily on social media accounts.
Mr Jesus explains once the scammers earn the trust of family members back in Latin America, they ask for their personal data (addresses, mobile phone numbers, email) and tell them that they would be contacted directly by the shipping company or airline.
Scammers tend to use the names of recognised companies, such as Fedex, or Latin American airlines, such as Avianca or Aeromexico. Some even send victims fake documents as 'proof of the transaction'.
An “official” from the company then contacts the victim by telephone, Mr Jesus explains.
An SBS Spanish reporter was party to one such conversation with one of the scammers.
Cybersecurity experts advise people to limit the amount of personal information they put on social media sites such as Facebook. Source: AAP
During the call, the scammer told this reporter she needed to pay an additional fee of hundreds of dollars on a shipment, as the package sent to her was 'over the allowed weight'.
The scammer went as far as to 'formally identify' himself at the end of the call, using a false reference number.
In other cases, a family member is convinced their loved one is going through an emergency situation so they wire transfer money immediately.
Scammers pressure people to send the requested amount saying that if they don’t, the shipment will be returned or seized by authorities.
In César’s case, he said he realised he was a victim of the scam when got a WhatsApp message from his sister saying, "Hey, are you OK? I need you to send me your account details so I can send you the money".
He immediately messaged her back asking, "what are you talking about?."
Similarly, María Ignacia, from Chile, told SBS Spanish that while she was asleep in Australia, scammers contacted her mother in her country from a fake WhatsApp account with her photograph and her name to deliver 'bad news'.
They wrote: “Mummy, how are you? I'm writing from a different number because I had to change it. I’ve broken up with my partner and I'm coming back to Chile to see you, I’m not well."
María said her mother immediately called her back, “heartbroken and crying”, asking her if she was fine, to which María answered: “Mum, I am fine, I have no problems since we spoke yesterday.”
Friends and relatives are left shaken by scammers posing as their loved ones in Australia. Source: AAP Image/Yui Mok/PA Wire
Fortunately, both César and María realized in time that something strange was unfolding, so their family members didn't send any money.
But others have not been as lucky.
Tania* , an Ecuadorian national and her Chilean husband have both had their profiles cloned by scammers several times, who have subsequently contacted their relatives and friends.
On one of those occasions, the scammers managed to trick one of their friends in Chile, telling him that he needed to solve a problem with a shipment of merchandise with Fedex.
When the friend went to the bank to deposit AUD$8000, a bank officer tried to warn him it was a scam because Fedex had its own corporate account, Tania tells SBS Spanish.
"He contacted my husband's mum who lives here in Sydney at 4am, she called my husband and he said 'no, I'm not asking for anything.' He contacted his friend in Santiago to warn him, but it was too late,” she says.
By then, their friend had already lost AUD$3800, as he had been scammed previously.
Cybersecurity experts recommend victims immediately report fake profiles to the social media platform where it's posted.
However, this doesn't always guarantees a solution to the problem. Vanessa*, another victim of identity cloning on social media networks, says her report wasn't taken seriously.
I sent the report to Facebook, and they told me that the person was not impersonating me, even though they had my picture.
Vanessa says she found multiple cloned profiles with her name and photographs.
Another problem is that the law in most countries does not consider impersonating a social media profile as a crime unless the profile is used for unlawful purposes, Mr Jesús explains.
“If, for example, someone creates a profile to defraud someone, there is a crime there. If someone simply takes some photos of you to create a profile, it would be an offence related to intellectual property but this crime is considered minor in most countries,” he says.
The cybersecurity expert adds that it all depends on the gravity of the situation and the victim needs to provide verifiable evidence to authorities.
Mr Jesús says he recommends using several free tools available online, which allow people to formalise screenshots of conversations, emails, among other evidence, so that they can be considered valid before a judge, even if the offender deletes the profile or conversations.
If people fall victim to cybercrime in Australia, they can report the incident to the Australian.
Experts advise how to avoid being scammed. Source: Getty Images
To check current scams, people can visit or contact the police in their state or territory to ask for assistance.
'Cloning' or creating fake profiles using people's information can be difficult to report to the authorities if the scam doesn't materialise.
How to avoid becoming a victim of a scam
Mr Jesús says a simple way for people to protect themselves from scams is to examine their profiles to check how much personal information is freely available to the public.
"You have to determine if it is necessary to publish so much information free of charge to the world. For example, many people on Facebook, surprisingly, publish their relatives' names for the public to see," he warns.
In the end, all that information, which does not really contribute in any way, because you are not going to stop being a cousin or brother by not making that relationship public on Facebook, gives criminals an opportunity to start a scam.
Computer expert Alberto Roura echoes Mr Jesús advice and suggests raising the topic of privacy settings with family members with low computer literacy.
He says social engineering is becoming increasingly advanced and cybercriminals are able to analyse any small detail or messages left on a friend's or family member's profile.
Nicole*, a Honduran woman in Australia, says she was so exhausted from having her profile cloned, that she took extreme measures to avoid the problem.
“I have stopped putting pictures of myself on social media. I have everything on private and if you look at my Facebook profile, I have a picture of a dog in front of a computer, and it has worked for me,” she says.
“In recent months no one has wanted to copy my profile. I think it's the only way to stop them from stealing my identity.”
Luis Satch, from Mexico, who was also a victim of the cloning scam, says people should be more cautious with their private information in order to protect others.
"When I say this to them they say ‘I really don’t care that they see my data because I don’t put anything very personal on Facebook’ however, they don't realise that by having friends on Facebook, they open the door for criminals to see their friends’ data,” Mr Satch adds.
According to him, it is also important to watch for warning signs that indicate that the person contacting you isn’t really who they say they are.
Experts also give the following recommendations:
- Examine if the person's spelling o writing skills match their educational level.
- Review the way the person refers to you (nicknames used or words of affection) and the way they express themselves.
- Look at the country code (if they write to you on WhatsApp). The code must match that of the country in which the person resides. In the case of Australia, for example, it is +61.
- Look for dates to see if the account from which they are writing to you has been recently created.
- If they ask you for money, ring the alarm.
To protect your online privacy:
- Change the privacy settings of all your social media accounts to 'private'.
- Don’t accept friend requests from strangers.
- Minimise the information you share on your profile (workplace, family, friends).
- Do not provide personal data through text messages or chats. Always go to the company's website or call them directly.
Finally, if in doubt, it is recommended that people ask the caller for information that only a close friend or relative would know. Alternatively, make a video call.
Learn more about how online criminals operate through "social engineering," by visiting the
