In short
Most common fake: Your account will be banned unless you verify it with the code we just sent.
Safest check: Check for the notice in your TikTok app notifications, not in a DM or text.
Where to report it: Report the account or message in the TikTok app and choose Frauds and Scams (or Scam or Fraud for TikTok Shop listings).
What TikTok says
TikTok says it will never contact you to ask for your password, verification codes or other sensitive personal details. Official messages arrive as in-app notifications or from email addresses ending in tiktok.com, and TikTok warns that messages paying you to like or follow videos are scams. Source: TikTok Support
Common fake TikTok messages
These are the 5 shapes a fake TikTok message usually takes. They are listed in the order we see them most often, and none of them is something TikTok itself does.
- Your account will be banned unless you verify it with the code we just sent
- Free followers, likes, coins or gift cards on an outside website
- Get paid to like and follow TikTok videos, join our group chat
- Fake investment or crypto account promising big, low risk returns
- Cheap in-game items or loans that need an upfront fee
TikTok's real web addresses
Genuine TikTok links and emails use these domains. Look at the part just before the first single slash: tiktok.com is real, but tiktok-support-center.com or tiktok.com.account-check.top are not.
- tiktok.com
- bytedance.com
Scammers can also hide a fake link behind real-looking text. Learn how to read a web address.
How to check a TikTok message safely
- Check for the notice in your TikTok app notifications, not in a DM or text
- Never share your password or a verification code, even with someone claiming to be TikTok
- Check that emails come from an address ending in tiktok.com
- Treat any offer to pay you for likes or follows as a scam
How to report a fake TikTok message
- Report the account or message in the TikTok app and choose Frauds and Scams (or Scam or Fraud for TikTok Shop listings). Official details on tiktok.com
- In the US, also report task and job scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Official details on consumer.ftc.gov
Also report it to the official fraud service in your country. See the worldwide list.
If you clicked, paid or shared details
Act quickly. It makes a difference.
- If you entered card or bank details, call your bank now using the number on your card, and ask them to block the card.
- If you entered a password, change it at tiktok.com, typed into your browser yourself, and turn on two-step verification. Do not use any link from the message.
- Expect follow-up calls or messages pretending to help, sometimes claiming to be from TikTok security. Never share one-time codes and never move money to a "safe account".
- Report the account or message in the TikTok app and choose Frauds and Scams (or Scam or Fraud for TikTok Shop listings), then delete the message.
More help: Task-based job scams and what to do after a scam.
How to protect yourself next time
Watch for anyone using your identity
If you shared ID documents, card details or a Social Security number, monitoring can alert you when someone opens credit or accounts in your name.
Free: In the US, a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and blocks most new-credit fraud. Elsewhere, ask your bank and your credit reference agency about fraud alerts.
- Aura Partner link US identity theft protection with credit monitoring and fraud insurance.
Take your details off data broker sites
Scammers buy phone numbers, home addresses and family details from people-search and data broker sites. The less of that is public, the fewer and less convincing the scam messages you get.
Free: You can ask each site to delete your details yourself. In the EU and the UK, data protection law gives you that right.
- Incogni Partner link Sends removal requests to data brokers for you, and keeps sending them.
Compare the tools that help, and what each costs
Links marked Partner link may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes our advice, and the free option always comes first. Affiliate disclosure.
Questions people ask
Does TikTok send messages asking for payment or personal details?
TikTok says it will never contact you to ask for your password, verification codes or other sensitive personal details. Official messages arrive as in-app notifications or from email addresses ending in tiktok.com, and TikTok warns that messages paying you to like or follow videos are scams.
How can I check if a TikTok message is real?
Check for the notice in your TikTok app notifications, not in a DM or text. Never share your password or a verification code, even with someone claiming to be TikTok. Check that emails come from an address ending in tiktok.com. Treat any offer to pay you for likes or follows as a scam.
How do I report a fake TikTok message?
Report the account or message in the TikTok app and choose Frauds and Scams (or Scam or Fraud for TikTok Shop listings). In the US, also report task and job scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
I clicked a link in a fake TikTok message but did not enter anything. Am I at risk?
Opening a link is far less serious than filling one in. Close it, and if you need your account, reach it by typing tiktok.com yourself. Clicking does tell the sender your number is live, so expect more messages for a while: report the account or message in the tiktok app and choose frauds and scams (or scam or fraud for tiktok shop listings).
Have you had this one?
Tell other people what the message said and how it reached you. It helps someone recognise it before they tap.
No stories yet. Yours could be the one that warns someone.
Official sources and further reading
We check our pages against official advice from the organisations themselves and from government agencies.
- Avoid fraudulent message attacks on TikTok (TikTok Support)
- Frauds & scams (TikTok Safety Center)
- How TikTok protects our community from frauds and scams (TikTok Newsroom)
- Be wary of job scams which appear to originate from TikTok (TikTok Newsroom)