Clubhouse: fake invitation scams between private individuals

Clubhouse is an audio-based social media application. This new application has become trendy and very popular with Internet users thanks to the emergence of audio content, particularly podcasts, during the current health crisis. As a result, Clubhouse has become the social network to watch in early 2021. Unfortunately, this successful appearance of the application did not leave cybercriminals unmoved. They have targeted the application to exploit its functions in order to trick users into joining the network. To access Clubhouse, you need to receive an invitation from a user of the application. The aim of this scam is to monetise this part of the application.

Clubhouse invitation scam

As you can see, this exclusive invitation system for accessing the Clubhouse application is seen as a prerequisite for joining this new audio-based social network. Many Internet users are taking advantage of this system to sell invitations to private individuals. Invitations to join the application can be found on classified ad sites such as Leboncoin, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. The selling prices for these invitations can vary between €5 and €10. Although some of the adverts are genuine and the exchanges serious, other individuals are taking advantage of the wave of Clubhouse to make "easy" money by tricking their buyers.

Example of a fake Clubhouse invitation for sale at €15,000 on Leboncoin

A trap to avoid between private individuals

Since the release of the Clubhouse application, many people have been taking advantage of this system to sell invitations illegitimately. The advantage for these people is that the buyer has no real way of knowing whether the invitation in question is genuine or not before buying it. If in doubt, it is therefore preferable to avoid signing up to these offers on classified ad sites to avoid falling into the traps of criminals. What's more, on some classified ad sites, illegitimate sellers offer to contact the buyer beforehand by text message to retrieve personal details before sending a fake invitation.

Fake Clubhouse apps for iOS and Android

In addition to these fake invitations being offered for sale on the peer-to-peer market, it was also discovered that fake mobile applications featuring Clubhouse's corporate identity had been launched with the aim of misleading people. These fake Clubhouse apps were found to be available for both Android and iOS devices. If you're wondering what the purpose of creating fake apps is, the answer is quite simply to steal personal data such as user credentials. Some copycat Clubhouse apps have been found in the Google Play Store and have been removed.

Avoid scams between private individuals with Obvy

Given the number of people taking advantage of the Clubhouse application craze, it's vital to be careful about what you buy on classified ad sites between private individuals, as these can certainly be scams. As well as being vigilant, it's advisable to use a secure payment method such as Obvy to be sure of avoiding scams or benefiting from recourse in the event of problems. One of the many advantages of Obvy, the secure payment method for private individuals and professionals, is that in the event of a scam or attempted scam, you can turn around and be reimbursed at no extra cost. What's more, you'll have all the information you need about the seller to make a complaint easily.