Protecting Yourself from Social Media Scams

With so many apps available to use on smartphones, people can find themselves sharing their private messages or embarrassing photos or videos online without even realizing it. And when they do, the potential victim is often not looking. For the younger generation, social networking sites (SNSs) have become one of the most popular ways of connecting with friends, family members, and even strangers. This is a common trend among teenagers nowadays, which means it has more access than ever before. However, because users still feel very vulnerable on these websites, scammers are now finding creative ways in order to exploit this vulnerability. As a result, internet scams have also become easier to spot and prevent. Here’s how to protect yourself from the malicious threat of SNSs.

How to Protect Your Privacy Online?

Cybercriminals will make use of every single aspect of human lives in order to trick us into giving away our data. One way to avoid being tricked is to be fully aware of what personal data you share with anyone else on the Internet. It should be noted that nobody actually needs to know who your contacts are for social media sites and apps like Facebook, but simply keep track of everything you post to all of them on a regular basis. In other words, you need to block all cookies and content trackers from any website you visit on the web. The best thing to do once you realize that someone has tracked your activity is to delete your password and account from such sites before they get the chance to. Another good approach would be to encrypt all of your communications over the Internet and send them through a different network to ensure nobody could intercept or read them. These methods are useful in order to detect even the smallest traces of this information and not want to go back to the site where you had initially shared it. Finally, remember to use Chrome extensions whenever possible to block ad-blockers and trackers, as well as perform daily backups of your files (such as desktop files and images). That way, if hackers gain entry to your computer, nothing they see could be stored onto your device without you knowing that it happened.

Protecting Yourself Against Hacking by Using Password Manager

One great way to protect against being hacked is to use a password manager. A password manager gives a secure access to your computer where no one except you can gain access to your files or computer system. Without a password manager, you run the risk of losing anything you may keep in your computer, including work files, personal information, etc. So, if you are worried about losing sensitive information like passwords or credit card numbers on your network, a password manager is for you. Some of the most used password managers include DashPass and LastPass, among others. Also, some people find out which website your contact list belongs to the first time you start using Twitter or Facebook. All of this information is stored on your browser, and any hacker could take advantage of that and try to steal it by guessing the URL. To prevent being deceived and having such information leaked online, always choose a password manager.

Protect Yourself From Fake Adware

Fake online advertisements have been around for years, but recent advancements in technology have made them much easier to fool. Since they can get your interest easily thanks to their specific ad keywords, fake advertisement products come up promising a free discount or an upgrade for your existing software. But they don’t actually offer any benefit at all, apart from sending traffic to your page. There are several ways to identify fake ads. Always look for the following characteristics:

Spamming

The term ‘spammy’ refers to spammy emails that seem genuine and legitimate. They will include lots of clickable links, ads, and popups that usually suggest something to watch or browse. Most importantly, they claim to help people improve their skills. When in doubt about how such ads are linked to what they say, check them out. Similarly, pay-per-click advertising is done via websites or mobile applications or programs whose prices are generally higher than regular advertisements, which are designed for targeted users. An example of a reputable platform that gets the word-mark from Google is AdThrive.

Spam campaigns

It is possible for you to create an account on dozens or hundreds of third-party websites without realising it and stay unaware of what type of traffic they receive from those websites. Such websites might ask you to sign up and agree to show ads on your website if you haven’t already. What’s worse, there are numerous tools and services available that allow you to download various third-party applications at the same moment. Don’t fall for it. We recommend going through the features on each application carefully so that you always have only real websites in front of you and never get fooled with scam campaigns.

Fake Websites

Fake websites are usually promoted via email lists, forums, web pages, social networks, and search engines. Just keep looking behind every corner in any website, and look for the domains associated with it, especially ones using expired hosting service providers. This can be very expensive if you are willing to spend. Additionally, many people believe that all websites hosted by resellers work fine, but these kinds of websites have a long history, and they aren’t always trusted. Moreover, fake websites frequently provide outdated or irrelevant content or link to dubious sources. Make sure to look for this feature in real websites before downloading any app or installing anything.

Fake News

Fake news is another way to reach new customers. People need it to understand complex topics and situations in order to understand what to believe (or to question the validity of opinions). Therefore, if you don’t understand anything about the topic, just look at the headline to see what is written underneath. Sometimes they are promoting false information like a political conspiracy, false claims about scientific breakthroughs in medicine and the medical world, misleading claims concerning a particular election, and even lies of some kind, such as claiming that the latest blockbuster movie was successful in making $200 million at the box office. No matter what source the story comes from, don’t trust them; they are full of untruths that will mislead their readers. Be wary of any site containing misinformation, whether through social platforms, newspapers, or YouTube. Many times, they are based on disinformation and falsities, rather than presenting facts and actual events in an authentic and unbiased manner. Even if someone wants to promote an article based on true reports or statistics, it shouldn’t be taken as gospel truth. Therefore, when you come across misleading or distorted information online, take action. Look for the right source or go in on social media and ask them to remove or revise the article. Any time you are watching news online and get fed into viewing this information, it is advisable against blindly consuming it; research at least three credible publications or journalists to verify the credibility of the information presented in them.

Social Network Fraudulent Activities

Social media sites like Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, twitter, etc. are full of bogus posts and comments. It does not matter the size of your following on each site. It is your responsibility to make sure that everyone knows how to spot and report such posts and comments so that we can protect ourselves against getting exploited and misled. On the Facebook community, some people are reporting incidents involving fraudulent accounts that appear to be from celebrities or public figures. Apart from posting things like pictures of famous persons, they are asking people to tag them in order to spread the news faster. Once again, this is likely to lead you to click on such posts and later on, you end up wasting your time on fraudulent profiles. Furthermore, they ask you to pay for them by linking to the payment gateway, providing your details, and requesting money from you. Do not fall for this. There is nothing worse than getting sold unauthentic or useless items. Also, it doesn’t matter whether you are purchasing anything fraudulent or not, as both can cause you significant damage. So, please don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Ensure that you update all your profile pictures since so-called celebrities look better than mere normal folks. At the same time, update the name of the page or the video you wish to upload as soon as possible. Furthermore, remember to report suspicious activities or any issues related to missing money that occur during this process. Never give out personal information or money for anything you can’t prove is not fake. Lastly, be careful when you click on such posts and do not click on any link or contact the person, unless it looks authentic.