Archives - Social Media Scams

People aren’t always who they say they are online

People of all ages need to be wary of strangers and those appearing to be your friends or loved ones online. It is too easy for criminals to hide their true identity and appear trustworthy. If someone asks to be your friend on a social media platform, only accept their request if you know them. […]

If something looks suspicious, delete it

Links in email, social media posts, texts, and online advertising are often how cybercriminals try to steal your personal information. Even if you know the source, when in doubt, throw it out. Definitely don’t click on a link from a stranger. Employ an email scanning software that scans your email for suspicious emails.

Delete old social media profiles

In order to stay protected from cybercriminals, try to leave the smallest digital footprint possible. The size of your digital footprint will depend on your overall internet activity, including how many online profiles you have. Personal pages on legacy sites like Myspace or Friendster typically contain personal data. So if you’re not using those sites […]

Social media is part of the online fraud toolset

By searching Google and scanning social media sites, cybercriminals can gather information about your partners and vendors, as well as human resources and financial departments. Employees should avoid oversharing on social media and should not conduct official business, exchange payment, or share personally identifiable information (PII) on social media platforms.

Reject unknown friend requests

Cybercriminals will often create fake profiles on social media sites like Facebook and Linkedin, with the objective of gathering sensitive information about you. By looking at your social media page, they can use your personal information to develop a phishing scam. To do this, they might create an alias or impersonate somebody you know before […]

Never click and tell

Limit what information you post on social media—from personal addresses to where you like to grab coffee. What many people don’t realize is that these seemingly random details are all that criminals need to know to target you, your loved ones, and your physical belongings—online and in the real world. Keep Social Security numbers, account […]