Facebook
has over a billion users, but unfortunately some of them are scammers and
hackers. And while Facebook is doing what it can to tackle the problem, these
cybercriminals don’t give up easy. The best way to avoid these scams is to
educate yourself on blogs such as this one, and to be smart about how you
interact with social media. There is no such thing as a “free iPad,” no matter
how much personal information you share!
Try BullGuard Internet Security 2013, free for 60 days, here!
Here are 3 of the most popular scams on Facebook
... they are not new, but since scammers are making use of them again, it must be that Facebook users continue to fall for them:
- Change your Facebook profile colour. Facebook is a strong brand, and there’s no way they’d alter their branding colours online. This colour changer app is actually a survey scam. Of course you have to ‘like’ it first, at which point it will begin spamming all of your friends.
- Free Gift Card. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, so don’t fall for this giveaway. You’ll only end up spamming your contacts and having to awkwardly apologise for it later. You could also get scammed into giving up some very personal information which could result in identity theft and other types of fraud.
- Who’s viewing your profile. We all want to know who’s looking at our profiles – is it that cute girl at work or your mother that spends the most time on your page? Of course, you’ll have to “like” the app first, encouraging your friends to also fall into this trap and “liking” it too. Then you’ll be roped into spamming your friends and taking various surveys, without ever finding out who’s spying on your profile.
Security tips:
- Here’s how Facebook survey scams work – getting to know how they work will help you recognize them more easily and avoid them.
- For more info on how to avoid these “fake freebies,” check out this blog on: “Beware! The real cost of online freebies may be your online security.”
- If you do fall for one of these scams, immediately delete the app from your Facebook account, and it’s not a bad idea to double check your “Likes,” just in case the hackers were “liking” things on your behalf. Also, check out these 5 tips to prevent social apps from invading your Facebook privacy.
- Watch out for Facebook scams! Especially ones that promote non-existent Facebook functionalities – check out the Facebook Scams Help Center to learn more about Facebook’s functionalities and features.
Keep an eye on the BullGuard blog for more Facebook security tips! If you’re not already subscribed, you can do so here.
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