Social media is fun and we think it is safe to be on social media. However, we must be aware so that we don’t fall prey to any scam. Malicious actors, who want to steal our personal data use us as an easy target. They look out for people who easily believe them and are ready to share their personal information with them. These malicious actors use different ways to scam you. If you are not cautious, you can step into their trap any time. In fact, you cannot even imagine that you are trapped in the scam unless and until too late.
Here are some of the ways you might get scammed on social media.
Sweet Gesture
When anyone shows you sweet gesture, you tend to get inclined towards that person. However, if a person shows the same type of gesture in social media, then you must be alert. This sweet gesture may not be that sweet at the end of the day. It can turn out to be more bitter that you actually expect. Romance on social media can be dangerous. You hardly know the person. You are not even sure if the information that the person has shared with you are actually true or not. Thus, when you make friends with anyone, be alert. Be cautious when you share pictures with the person. These pictures can be morphed and used for illegal purposes.
Theft of Identity
You may receive messages from people asking for your personal details such as your id number, license number and other details. You must be clever enough to avoid such requests. Your personal details may be used against you.
Credits: Finance Monthly
Phishing
We all have received emails from different companies at one time or the other. These emails are generally sent for promotional purposes. However, you but be sure enough that none of the genuine companies would ever ask for any of your personal details. Thus, if anyone asks for your bank account details, directly ignore it without a second thought. This is nothing but a scam to which you may fall a prey.
Money Laundering
Everyone wants his money to be clean. But be sure that this does not take place at your expense. If you get a request that someone wants to transfer money to you, straight away reject the proposal.
People Want Help
It is natural human instinct to help others. But you must be careful if anyone asks you for help in social media. It may happen that your friend’s account is hacked by someone, and that hacker is asking for help from you.
Credits: e-motional web design
Greetings Card Scam
It is common that we always receive random greetings cards for different festivals and occasions via email. You must be alert while opening these cards. If you download the card, it can happen that all your personal data from the desktop get transferred to the people causing this scam.
Now you must be thinking that what to do to avoid scams on social media. Don’t worry. We don’t suggest you quit social media, but yes, be alert when you accept any request or post anything on social media.