Social media can be a fun way to stay in touch with family and friends. Unfortunately, criminals also use the platforms to target us with a variety of scams. Protect your social media accounts by guarding access to them and understanding the latest scam tactics.

Protect Your Accounts

• Own Your Online Identity: Every time you sign up for a new account, app, or get a new device, immediately go to the privacy/security settings. Set the limits on information sharing to what you’re most comfortable with. Regularly check these settings to make sure nothing has changed. Consider setting your accounts to private so only those you approve can follow you.
• Use Strong, Unique Passwords: Use passwords that are long and different from each other. Use a password manager to generate and remember different, complex ones for each of your accounts. It will also encrypt passwords. ion content.
• Use Two-Factor Authentication: Sometimes called multi-factor authentication, this helps keep hackers out. It requires an extra step after entering in your password — like a temporary code sent to your email or by text to verify it's you.

Account Takeover

We store a treasure trove of personal information and data in our social media accounts. Hackers may trick you into giving up access or simply buy your login information off the Dark Web. Scammers take control over accounts to:

• Post about fake investment opportunities.
• Share links to phishing websites or fake stores.
• Gather personal details from their victim’s friends and family members.
• Gain access to other online accounts (for example, by using “sign in with Facebook”).

Are you a victim of an account takeover? Report it:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X
• YouTube

Common Social Media Scams

Online Marketplaces

Scammers may pretend to be someone trying to buy or sell items. They may create fake listings that try to lure you to make transactions outside of the normal marketplace payment system. Beware of requests to communicate outside of the social media platform. If you can, pay with a credit card. It offers extra fraud protection, limiting what you owe if someone steals your information and allowing you to dispute certain charges. Be wary of sellers requiring you to pay through cryptocurrency, wire transfer, prepaid debit cards or gift cards. Scammers often prefer these types of payment because they are like cash and not easily stopped or traced.

Fake Accounts

A scammer can easily fake a social media profile or website by stealing pictures and information from a person or business to act as them. This tactic is often used by scammers claiming to be looking for love, renting out a vacation home or selling fake goods or services. Do a reverse image search of the pictures. Do you see the image come up with other profiles or other names? Those are the signs of a scam.

Use Caution: Just because a profile or website looks legitimate and has convincing photos does NOT mean it's real. Artificial intelligence is making it easier for scammers to create fake profiles along with the photos and videos on those accounts. 

Advertisements

Scammers spend money on advertisements just like real businesses. These ads are cheap and easy to create. Scammers often use a name similar to a real business. Beware of anyone promising rock-bottom prices or ads that just pop-up. Don’t click on any links and close the window. 

Surveys, Quizzes and Giveaways

A post may invite you to participate in a poll or survey Scammers might impersonate well-known businesses. Sorry to burst your bubble, it’s a scam. If you think it could be legit, contact the company using a website or phone number you know is real. If someone claims they need information like a credit card number to get a free prize, it’s likely a fake.

Charity and Donations

Don't assume requests for donations on social media are legitimate. Find out who is collecting the money and how it will be used. Do online searches to see if similar posts may be using the same details and images. Learn more about charity scams here.