Social Media Scam Awareness
These days people of all ages are online and using social media, and social media can be a great way to stay connected with people and businesses. It can also be a hunting ground for scammers, which is why it’s really important that you stay aware of how much personal information you reveal on your social media accounts.
Scammers troll social media accounts and information that you post or share such as your name, date of birth, location, names of pets, interests and hobbies, etc. can be used in harmful ways.
Scammers can learn a lot about you from status updates, polls and quizzes, photos and videos, and use this information to guess your account passwords or target you with other scams.
Protect yourself on social media
Be alert
If you’re approached online by a stranger, always consider that if you haven’t met in person, you can’t be certain who you’re talking to.
Scammers can also pose as people you know on social media by creating fake accounts in someone’s name or hacking a person’s account.
Don’t overshare
Don't post personal details on your social media accounts, such as your full name, date of birth, phone number and address.
Protect
Set your social media privacy settings to private and ensure you’re only sharing your photos and posts with people you know and trust.
Don’t accept ‘friend’ requests from strangers.
Review and reduce the number of apps on your device that can access your social media profile.
If a known contact on social media asks for money or claims you’ve won a prize, call the family or friend directly using a trusted phone number to verify it was really them.