Social media is often seen as an outlet used to maintain relationships with friends and family. You might even connect with strangers who share common interests or follow your favorite celebrities. It is easy to forget how much personal data is being shared while you scroll through your news feed. Your Facebook profile probably lists your name, email, birthdate, schools you've attended, your employer, and more. Without proper privacy settings in place, you are practically handing over your information to hackers.
There were over 3.8 billion active social media users at the start of 2020 – up 9% from 2019. This means that about half of the global population are potential targets for cybercriminals via social media alone. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission reported that identity theft through email and social media increased by 10%. As technology advances, hackers will come up with more and more ways to deceive you across social platforms.
Anywhere, Anytime
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not the only platforms you should be cautious about. YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, dating apps, and more require personal information to sign up. The more informal the atmosphere, the more vulnerable you could be to letting your guard down. Here are some popular ways hackers could access your information through social media:
It is important to be skeptical on social media platforms even if a profile is a name of someone you know. A scammer can pretend to be anyone or anywhere with enough technology – adding credibility to their messages and offers. Always be skeptical of messages or posts that seem out of the ordinary to you.
Watch for Warning Signs
Scams continue to evolve and change as hackers react to trends and test new approaches. Rather than trying to be aware of every scam that is a potential threat, develop a “scam radar” by watching for these indicators in a message or post on social media:
If a hacker has just one moment of your inattention, you could become their next victim. Without scanning a suspicious post, a simple click can result in stolen account information, lost data, identity theft and more. Don’t let your cyber guard down because you think you are just scrolling through lighthearted posts and images from friends. Read more tips on cybersecurity from BankFive here.
There were over 3.8 billion active social media users at the start of 2020 – up 9% from 2019. This means that about half of the global population are potential targets for cybercriminals via social media alone. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission reported that identity theft through email and social media increased by 10%. As technology advances, hackers will come up with more and more ways to deceive you across social platforms.
Anywhere, Anytime
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not the only platforms you should be cautious about. YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, dating apps, and more require personal information to sign up. The more informal the atmosphere, the more vulnerable you could be to letting your guard down. Here are some popular ways hackers could access your information through social media:
- Fake merchandise advertisements. Advertising on social media is a growing strategy by many brands. It is not unusual to see an ad for something you are interested in on your news feed from a website you have never heard of for much cheaper than normal. Do your research on online stores you do not recognize before entering payment information.
- Responding to questionnaires. In 2017, Sutton, MA Police Department warned of commenting on Facebook posts that ask questions like your first grade teacher, your first car or pet, the place you were born, etc. “You are giving out the answers to your security questions without realizing it. Hackers are setting these up as a get to know each other better game. They then build a profile of you from several different data sources. They use this data to hack your accounts or open lines of credit in your name,” the post reads. What seems like harmless fun could result in identity theft.
- Prize contest submissions. Many social media accounts, like brands or influencers, do giveaway contests through social media. It is important to verify that it is a legitimate contest before entering your information on a submission form. If you are not familiar with the account, do some digging to ensure you are not handing over your name, email, address, and more to a hacker – instead of the tropical vacation prize you thought it was. If you receive a message that you won a contest without entering one, it is most likely a prize scam as well.
- Request from a friend. A method that people may fall for easily is receiving a message from a friend or family member on social media asking for money. This is usually the result of a hacker gaining access to the other person’s account and attempting to fool you into thinking your friend is in trouble and needs help. If you receive an outlandish message from someone you know, it is best to contact them directly outside of social media and let them know their account may have been compromised.
- Asking for account verification. You receive a pop-up message that your account is being cancelled if you do not activate or verify your information immediately. Instead of clicking on the provided link to see if this is real, you should go directly into your account settings. Even if you do not click on the link, it is best practice to change your password if you think the pop-up could have been a scam.
- Fabricated press releases. Think twice before immediately clicking on a news article that contains “BREAKING” or other intriguing comments on your news feed. This could lead to a fraudulent link that gives hackers access to your account. Current events that hackers know people want information about could be used as click bait such as COVID-19 updates or even celebrity gossip.
- Fake dating profiles. It is easy to forget that just because someone posts an image and enters their name on a dating app, does not mean it is really them. This is known as a “romance scam” and is becoming an increasingly popular issue. The FTC reported $201 million in losses from romance scams in 2019. If you begin to chat with someone on a dating app or other social platform that eventually asks for money, they are probably not who they are claiming to be.
It is important to be skeptical on social media platforms even if a profile is a name of someone you know. A scammer can pretend to be anyone or anywhere with enough technology – adding credibility to their messages and offers. Always be skeptical of messages or posts that seem out of the ordinary to you.
Watch for Warning Signs
Scams continue to evolve and change as hackers react to trends and test new approaches. Rather than trying to be aware of every scam that is a potential threat, develop a “scam radar” by watching for these indicators in a message or post on social media:
- Poor quality. A post that claims to be from a brand you know but has misspellings, poor grammar, or low quality images.
- Not expected. Even if a post or message appears legit but you aren’t expecting it or it seems like weird behavior by a friend, call the organization or person before responding online. Use a trusted number, not one included in the message.
- Call for urgent response. Any time “immediate action” is part of the message think before acting too quickly. If a store claims to be having an amazing deal for 24 hours on social media, navigate directly to their website through your web browser to see if the claim aligns.
- Request for sensitive information. It is rare that a legitimate organization will ask you to enter sensitive or confidential information without a verification process via social media. Even if you know the company’s page is real, it is best to enter information directly into their website and not have it pass through the form on social media.
- Incorrect URLs. If possible, hover over the links on social media to see if they lead to where they are claiming. If the URL does not match the company’s name or if you are at all skeptical, it is probably best to navigate directly to the website yourself outside of social media.
If a hacker has just one moment of your inattention, you could become their next victim. Without scanning a suspicious post, a simple click can result in stolen account information, lost data, identity theft and more. Don’t let your cyber guard down because you think you are just scrolling through lighthearted posts and images from friends. Read more tips on cybersecurity from BankFive here.