Scammers turn their faux ICE raid deceit into a TikTok trend

Scammers may be coming for your sympathy, but what they really want is your personal information.

Videos of users claiming to have been fired due to immigration raids have started circulating on the social media platform.

In the videos, people allegedly working at Target and Walmart reveal that they have been fired or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

However, users soon discovered that they were actually an elaborate scam designed to obtain sensitive information.

The videos would follow a similar pattern: workers would claim that they’ve been fired from Target or Walmart, and even face deportation to their home countries. Following the situation, the workers then decide to “spill the secrets” about these stores.

Convincing as they seem at first glance, the videos are fake. One example features TikTok creator Mia (@mama_mia016), who creates Target-related content.

Netizens soon discovered that the scam video had nothing to do with the original creator, who explained that she has only one account and hasn't been deported.

The video, which depicts “Mia” allegedly sharing Target’s secrets, was actually uploaded by an account with a generic user name, reported Daily Dot.

Another red flag regarding this trend is the “secrets” shared in these videos. One of them said that Walmart workers were “forced to listen to Walmart Radio” and would get in trouble if they were caught using AirPods.

At the time of writing, many of the videos referenced by Daily Dot seem to have been taken down. After using keywords such as “ICE deportations at Target” or “Fired from Walmart/Target,” one of the remaining videos includes a woman who claims that she had been deported after working at the retailer for three years.

The woman shared several “secrets,” including information about the company's products and its treatment of employees.

@jaydenoughh Target called ICE and got me deported. Yeah you heard that right. TARGET. #target #targetfinds #ice #fyp ♬ original sound - jayden

The woman also mentioned that she was forced to listen to “Target radio,” similar to the videos about Walmart. Her video includes an invitation to join the “Target feedback program,” where users could get a $700 gift card.

This is where the scam plays out, as the videos also suggest that people can get free products, gift cards, or discounts by filling out a survey on a website.

These websites are actually scam sites where people are asked to share their personal information.

The scam’s creators leveraged recent news about the ICE raids as context that would attract viewers’ attention and perhaps even gain some sympathy, thus luring them to these dangerous websites.