If you have been tagged in an Instagram post or story promising you Shein vouchers or a chance to be a Shein ambassador, it’s best to ignore it and report the account.

Why? Because you’re likely being tagged in a scam that is attempting to gain your personal data or subscribe you to a third-party service. The scam takes advantage of the Chinese shopping site’s popularity to try lure in victims.

How the Shein voucher and ambassador Instagram scam works

I was tagged in one of these posts, which have also been spotted by other social media users and websites. For some reason, there seems to have been an increase in November 2022, despite the scam not being new.

In this scam, fake Instagram accounts tag you in a post or a story. They will urge you to follow the link in either their bio or a mentioned account.

This link is malicious, with a Google flagging the links on its Google Safe Browsing link checker.

Looks like there's a new scam going around on Instagram, where accounts pretend you've been selected for a Shein gift card. Don't fall for it! This is how you'll end up losing money 🧵 /1 pic.twitter.com/4HfeJKyS8m

— Megan Ellis (mas.to/@meganellis) (@Megg_Ellis) December 5, 2022

In one particular case, the scam was attempting to get me to share my details for a voucher. However, upon closer inspection, I could see the site’s small print noting that entering details would result in a subscription to a service that would cost more than R400 every two weeks.

I was also tagged in a story where the opportunity to become a Shein ambassador was offered. In some cases, the account is attempting to trick you into using their affiliate code to sign up to Shein. In other cases, the link leads to malicious websites.

Considering Shein offers vouchers directly through its website on its official site and app, it’s best to avoid any random mentions that try to offer them to you on Instagram.