Loan sharks target new victims via WhatsApp and Facebook

Sunday, 9 May 2021, 07:45:10
Criminals have been using social media – from dating sites to local community groups – to find, threaten and control people in debt Local WhatsApp groups have been one of the silver linings of the pandemic, creating community ties and support networks. Yet loan sharks are increasingly using these groups to extort money from their victims , according to England’s Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT), an organisation that prosecutes illegal lenders and supports victims. Such lenders are also targeting their victims online – the IMLT’s 2020 victim statistics report shows that one in 10 victims met the loan shark via social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Snapchat and Facebook, or through dating websites. Criminals are also creating their own WhatsApp and Facebook groups that appear to be for local communities but are actually ways to maintain control over their victims, according to Tony Quigley, the head of the IMLT. “It looks like a local community group,” he said. “They will say ‘come and join the group’, ‘see what’s going on’.
— The Guardian

Could Megan Thee Stallion And The D'Amelio Sisters Help Snapchat's Original Content Push?

Wednesday, 5 May 2021, 22:27:53
Popular with millennials and Gen Z users, Snap Inc's (NYSE: SNAP ) Snapchat is pushing further into its original programming to better monetize its large user base. What Happened: At a presentation for advertisers on Wednesday, Snap Inc highlighted its upcoming slate of original programming. “Off Thee Leash With Megan Thee Stallion” features the Grammy-winning artist with celebrity friends and their pets. “Charli vs. Dixie” is a competition show that puts the popular D’Amelio sisters against each other. The pair rose to fame on TikTok and are among the most-followed people on social media. Other shows include: “Meme Mom,” about Snapchat favorite NicoleTV, following her life as a mother and having a career; “Twinning Out,” which shows Niki and Gabi DeMartino navigating difficult decisions in life; “Coming Out,” which features six young people coming out to their family and friends … Full story available on Benzinga.com
— Benzinga

Snap will face lawsuit stemming from a deadly crash after all

Wednesday, 5 May 2021, 16:30:12
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) must face a lawsuit in connection with a car accident that resulted in the deaths of three teenagers. The court ruled that Snapchat encouraged unsafe driving through a feature that allows users to share videos or photos that show their speed. Q1 […] The post Snap will face lawsuit stemming from a deadly crash after all appeared first on ValueWalk .
— ValueWalk

Snapchat, VMLY&R Use AR to Encourage Gen Z to Vote in Local UK Elections

Wednesday, 5 May 2021, 14:09:12
Snapchat and VMLY&R have joined forces to encourage Gen Z users to vote in the U.K. local council elections on May 6. The partnership created “Speech to Street,” which features a Snapchat AR Lens acting as a political platform for users. The feature was developed as the winning entry of last year's Snapchat Creative Council…
— Adweek

The Dogecoin Joke Is Turning Serious in Latest Crypto Binge

Wednesday, 5 May 2021, 13:06:17
(Bloomberg) — For anyone who still thinks Dogecoin is a joke, there are 90 billion reasons that say it’s not.That’s how much the digital token is now worth in dollar terms after another 40% gain in the 24 hours through Wednesday. Useless or not, the coin has been swept up in the crypto mania that’s gripped markets awash in central bank largesse. It’s the latest milestone in a year of speculative excesses for a market Nouriel Roubini once described as “the mother of all bubbles.”While in the past, trillions of dollars in stimulus by governments and central banks might have triggered a rush into gold for the inflation-wary and risky stocks for the intrepid, a deluge of cash this time round is flooding into the nascent crypto market. Few illustrate this better than Dogecoin, an essentially useless cryptocurrency that’s become the destination for a horde of day traders egged on by Internet buzz and a self-propelling buying frenzy.Also read: Should You Buy Dogecoin and How Is It Different From Bitcoin? “At some point, something is just real,” said Sam Bankman-Fried, the Hong Kong-based chief executive officer of the FTX crypto exchange. “If Dogecoin is stupid and valueless, it shouldn’t be worth $90 billion.
— Yahoo Finance