Who Is Sarah Baloch? Pakistani Influencer's Viral Video Used To Spread Fake ‘Assam’ Link, Online Safety Alert

Social media platforms are currently witnessing the rapid spread of a viral MMS video featuring Pakistani influencer Sarah Baloch. However, what appears to be a trending clip is actually being weaponised by cybercriminals to target Indian users. Using a deceptive ‘Assam’ narrative to spark local curiosity, scammers are drawing unsuspecting people into clicking on malicious links. This ‘Online Safety Alert’ breaks down the identity of the influencer and the mechanics of this sophisticated phishing scam.

Who Is Sarah Baloch and Why Is Her Name Going Viral?

Sarah Baloch is a well-known Pakistani social media influencer and content creator. She is famous for her lifestyle videos, travel vlogs, and fashion content. She has a significant number of followers on both Instagram and TikTok. Her name is currently trending not because of any new development, but because of an old video of hers that has been reused without her knowledge or consent. Her image is being used by scammers as ‘clickbait’ because they know that her account tends to have a lot of engagement. They use her image to get their content to spread quickly on WhatsApp groups and Facebook.

What Is The Fake ‘Assam’ Link And How Is It Being Spread?

The scam relies on a technique called localisation. In India, the viral MMS video is being shared with captions that claim it has shocking news from Assam or the Assam viral incident.

• A blurred image of Sarah Baloch or a suggestive image is combined with a link.

• It is spreading via forwarded messages on WhatsApp and ‘Suggested’ posts on Facebook.

• When a user clicks on the link to view the news about Assam, they are not taken to a news website. Instead, they are redirected to several dubious domains that may try to install spyware or ask the user to provide their credentials to verify their age.

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Online Safety Alert: How To Identify Fake Viral Links

Recognising a scam link before clicking on it can protect you from identity theft or financial fraud. Here are some warning signs:

• When a video of a Pakistani influencer is being shared in relation to a local event in Assam, it is likely to be a scam.

• Trustworthy news sources are from trusted domains (for example, [suspicious link removed], timesofindia.indiatimes.com). If the link appears to be bit.ly/3xyz, wp-update-news.co, or a random series of numbers, don’t click.

• When the webpage forces you to ‘Share to 10 WhatsApp groups’ to watch the entire video, it is a viral MMS video scam to make you a distributor for the hackers.

How To Protect Your Phone And Data From Scam Links

If you see the Sarah Baloch viral link or any other fishy ‘Assam’ news alert, here’s what you need to do to protect your online life:

1. The best way to protect yourself is to simply not click on the link. Delete the message and tell the person who sent it that it’s a scam.

2. If you accidentally clicked on the link, close the tab right away and clear the cache and cookies of your mobile browser to delete any tracking scripts.

3. Go to your phone settings and check if any new apps have been granted ‘Accessibility’ or ‘Notification’ permissions.

4. Make sure your social media and banking apps are using 2FA so that even if a scammer tries to phish your password, they won’t be able to get into your accounts.

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