Scams to look out for on social media!
For lots of us, social media plays a big part in our everyday lives and is a great way for us to stay connected! Unfortunately this opens us up to lots of new ways for fraudsters to scam us without even realising we are in any real danger. Lots of people have already been victims of social media scammers, however there are some things we can look out for to help protect ourselves!
1. Suspicious applications
Sometimes unofficial applications can come up in our newsfeeds such as the ‘click here to see who’s viewed your profile’ or ‘click here to change the colour of your Facebook profile’. However, you should be aware that these are NOT an actual feature of Facebook and therefore you must not click the link! If you do they could get hold of your personal information. These are almost certainly scams.
2. Beware of phishing scams
Always look out for scamming emails! You may get emails saying that you have been tagged in a photo on Facebook or been sent a direct message on Twitter. It will then actually to sign in with your login and password, only for you to find out that you have just signed in with the unofficial sites! This is another sly way for hackers to access your account!
3. Be careful when buying and selling
Social media can be a great platform for buying and selling things if it’s done safely and correctly. However, unlike on eBay or Amazon, who offer some protection, Facebook and Twitter are purely a platform and are in no way linked to the transaction being done. Therefore you won’t be able to appeal to them if anything goes wrong with the exchange. Therefore you must be extremely careful before you make any transactions.
4. Friends who have been hacked
If you get a message from your friend asking for personal details, or asking you to click a link, then always be suspicious! There’s a strong chance that they’ve actually been hacked and it’s a clever way for the virus to make it’s a way onto more people’s computers.
Remember never to give any personal details out over the internet!
CLICK HERE to read about the big banking scam that has affected thousands!
