Social Media Scams

• Fake celebrities. We’ve become so used to seeing what our favorite stars are up to on social media that it might seem natural for them to get in touch to solicit charitable donations, offer backstage passes or profess their gratitude personally. It’s not. Social networks swarm with impersonator accounts set up to hoax or steal from fans.

• Facebook quizzes. They may seem like harmless fun, but the Better Business Bureau and digital-security companies warn that swindlers sometimes use quizzes to pry loose personal data. Launching a quiz app may give its creators permission to pull information from your profile, offering hackers an opening to steal your online identity.

And look out for innocent-sounding queries about your high school mascot or first car. Con artists know these are common security questions that banks and financial firms use to protect accounts.

• “Is that you in this photo/video?” If you get a message like this with a link to purported online evidence of embarrassing behavior, repress your curiosity and hit “delete.” Clicking the link takes you to a site that mimics one of the popular social networks and prompts you to log in, a ploy for hackers to get your credentials and access your account.

• Missing persons. The FBI has issued alerts about a particularly vicious social media scam: Criminals contact people who post information about missing family members and pose as kidnappers, claiming to have abducted the loved one and demanding ransom payments.

As you connect digitally with friends and family, take these steps to help protect your online identity.

Warning Signs

• Posts and ads that offer super low prices on popular name-brand goods or free trials of miraculous health and beauty aids. If a discount or product claim seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• A post that directs you to another website to claim a prize, win a gift card, take a quiz, fill out a survey or see a scandalous video.
• Posts and direct messages that ask for money, especially in the form of gift cards, cryptocurrency or a wire transfer. Those are the chief ways scammers seek to get paid.

How to protect yourself from this scam

• Do check and regularly update the privacy settings on your social media accounts. Use options to let only people you know see your posts, opt out of targeted advertising and prevent apps from accessing your profile information.
• Do use different passwords for different accounts, and set up two-factor authentication, which ensures that only you can access an account even if someone else gets your password.
• Do be wary of strangers who attempt to forge close bonds or romantic relationships on social media. Cut off contact if they start asking for money.
• Do contact a friend, offline, if you get what appears to be a social media message from them about an investment opportunity or urgent need for money. Their account may have been hacked or duplicated. 
• Do think carefully about what you post about yourself and your whereabouts. Hackers can use personal information for identity theft, and a seemingly innocuous vacation photo can signal to criminals that your home is empty.

• Don’t share personal information such as your home address or phone number in social media posts or include it in your public profile.
• Don’t accept friend requests from strangers.
• Don’t download apps via links on social media unless you need them and can confirm they come from a trusted source.
• Don’t take social media quizzes or surveys that ask personal questions, even ones that sound innocuous.
• Don’t click on suspicious links, even in posts from people you know. Website safety checkers such as Google Safe Browsing or VirusTotal can tell you if a link carries a phishing or malware risk.
• Don’t log in to Facebook or other social media sites while using a public Wi-Fi network. Many are poorly secured, leaving openings for scammers to intercept personal data associated with your accounts.

More Resources

• If you are victimized by a social media scam, report it to the FTC and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
• Facebook’s Help Center has a section on account security that includes tips on protecting your information and avoiding scams. You can report suspicious posts, messages and profiles to Facebook.