As you know, Social Networking sites are becoming an addiction for many Internet users. As we see, these sites are useful in many ways: you can share information, videos, photos, keep in touch with people, do business, among other options. Nevertheless, business and regular users must be aware of the increasing dangers behind the “Social Network revolutionâ€. The Social Network Age has turned to be a great window of opportunity for Hackers and Cyber crime. You must be alert, scams could make you vulnerable.
According to Mario Cuomo, a general attorney, the social networking site Tagged.com has stolen the identities of over 60 million users by raiding contact lists from their private accounts. On the other hand, Twitter’s confirmed that one of their employees had been hacked and stolen confidential documents, financial information, projections and plans. The criminal did it by just entering the employees email account. Imagine that if this happens among Social Networks creators, then nobody is safe!
There are several scams you can avoid in order to avoid the enormous risks of being part of the Social Network community. Let’s see!
1) Fake identity
As creating a profile on a Social Network is really easy, hackers and criminals frequently use it as an opportunity to attack. Have you heard the scam about the Russian girl who wants to visit America or the Nigerian fraudsters pretending to be White Knights? Believe it or not, these are common strategies by which online criminals can steal your money. So, keep your heart issues the old way and never send money to strangers!
The best way by which you can protect yourself from evil fake online characters is just by using your common sense. Check your new friends and please do not meet with them unless you are completely sure or their intentions. And NEVER send them money!
2) Profile Hacking
Hackers can also sneak into existing profiles. Your own identity may be at risk as too! So, monitor search engines —especially Google— to make sure that your name and pictures are not being used by another person. Sometimes, hackers do this just to fool around and mess your profile. But, they can install invisible codes which they can use for evil purposes.
Make sure your passwords are strong enough and change them every month! If you suspect that someone is entering your profile inform the site’s operator as soon as possible. If things get worse and you are being threatened, then call the policies or authorities who can help you!
3) Malware
Even though Social Networks may seem to be non-profitable and trustworthy Web sites, one of their main objectives is to make a lot of money through advertisement revenues. That is one of the reason they are constantly upgrading in terms of functionality and appearance.
How many application invitations such as calendars, quizzes, and animations do you receive per day? Well, by adding them you are giving cyber criminals the opportunity of spreading malware and viruses into your profile or computer. The fact that an application or request appears under the name of a well-known business or organization does not guarantee safety!
So, the best thing you can do is to have the latest versions of anti-viruses which fight malware and to make sure that you are constantly updating them!
4) Identity Theft
This is getting even worse… At least 8.4 million people in the U.S. had their identities stolen last year. Cyber criminals can not only mess with your profile, but also steal your identity! Most profile pages contain personal data such as address, telephone or credit card numbers, etc. This information can be use by them to get to know more about you. They can use your credit cards, do fake kidnappings, and even lead you and your family to bankruptcy!
So, put a limit to the amount of information you include in your profiles. There’s no need to include all your personal data. Also, make sure you don’t enter unknown links; because it is a common way hackers use to get to know more about you.
5) Spam
You probably receive many emails from friends and relatives who denied they have ever typed them. Others can receive spam emails from you as well. If that’s the case, then a malicious code had been installed into your social network profile.
As information is really easy to obtain, Social Networks contribute to spam purposes. As we said before, limit the amount of data you include in your profile.
We cannot deny the central role Social Networks have inside the Internet world. The idea is not to avoid their use, just because you can’t stay away of the online trends… but, it’s crucial to increase safety and protection measures in order to reduce cyber crimes. Be smart enough and take the necessary time and precautions! As mentioned before, there are simple ways by which you can feel safer online. If cyber socialization is the trend, then the cyber security must rule!
Sources:
- 5 Facebook, Twitter scams to avoid
- 60 Million Victims of Social Networking Scam
- 5 types of Social Network scams
- Twitter Hacker, confidential documents stolen
