- The U.S. NSA ran fake LinkedIn and Facebook profiles to phish foreign targets, as revealed in Snowden leaks, posing as recruiters to install malware.
- UK's GCHQ conducted "Operation Socialist," using false personas on social media for spear-phishing against telecom firms worldwide.
- In 2016, Russian GRU operatives (targeting Western elections) used spear-phishing on Democratic Party emails, but U.S. agencies mirrored similar tactics in counter-ops per declassified reports.
- "A Diamond is Forever".
Emotional manipulation linking diamonds to eternal love; planted stories, lobbied celebrities; created artificial scarcity myth despite stockpile.
- Amazon, Walmart, etc.
Scarcity/urgency prompts ("only 2 left!"); personalized "recommended for you" via data exploits.
- Fake reviews.
Paid influencers posed as riders praising service; hidden surge pricing mind games.
- "Torches of freedom".
Women-only events handing cigarettes as "freedom symbols" to subvert norms.
Feel free to ask for more:
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/hey-someone-on-hackernews-c...