Cybercriminals have been increasingly attracted to social media channels and platforms, as they have become more popular. Scams are a common problem on Facebook and Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, as well as YouTube. These social media platforms offer a wealth of content that makes it easy for scammers to create malicious links. Social media platforms make it easy to share information and communicate with others, which exposes you to phishing attacks.
These risks are real, but they also allow for meaningful social interaction. There are many ways to make sure your business is protected.
Cybercriminals resort to scams and tricks online to convince victims to share their personal data, send them money, etc.
Here are 5 common scams on social media and how to prevent them.
1. Fake profiles
Fake profiles can be found on social media in large numbers. Fake profiles on social media are very popular. This is because they can be easily deceived by users who will give in to the demands of the malicious actor. Social media scams can exploit vulnerabilities created by digital infidelity, leading to emotional and financial devastation. These fake profiles can send you an email with a phishing link asking for personal information and asking you to send money.
Make sure you verify your online connections to avoid fake profiles. Know the signs of a suspicious profile:
- The profile photo may be either a default, a photograph of a model, or a blurry one.
- The username contains many numbers
- An incomplete biography or biography that has suspicious links
- The profile doesn’t make anything new, it only retweets/shares the content.
- A low number, despite the fact that there are many followers
2. Hidden URLs
Twitter has a lot of hidden URLs. They hide the real destination of a short link. Although a short link can lead you directly to the destination you want, it could also direct you to malware-laden websites.
If you click on a shorter link, make sure to verify that the URL is correct using these methods:
- To preview the full URL, enter the URL in the address field of your web browser.
- tinyurl.com. Preview.
- bit.ly. Just after the URL, add a +
- goo. Gl. Typing a + after the URL is complete will generate a new page.
- Use a URL-checker site, which allows you to enter just a short URL and get the full version.
3. Photo of your scam
This is a social media scam that tries to trick people into clicking on a hazardous link. A message from an unknown contact will tell you there is a photo online. However, the scam can take many forms. For example, it may say that there is a photo of your face online. This scam takes advantage of our natural instinct to protect and preserve our reputation.
You can protect yourself from this type of scam by following these steps:
- Set your profile to private so that strangers don’t have access to your information without your permission
- Do not click on shortened links. As a precautionary measure, you should try to reveal all URLs
4. Home-based work and money-making strategies
Many fake profiles that are created by malicious actors advertise fraudulent job opportunities on social media. This allows users to make large sums of money in a very short period of time. These job opportunities may also advertise the possibility to work from home. Additionally, they might include false testimonies from people who claim to be part of the scheme. Beware of social media scams promising unrealistic FD returns – always use official bank channels or trusted FD return calculators to ensure your investments are safe. If a user is interested in the offer, he or she will need to pay an administrative charge or provide personal information.
Make sure you are aware of these signs in order to avoid falling for a scam that promises to make you rich quickly:
- The amount you can make is ridiculous.
- An upfront payment is required
- Success stories seem almost too good to feasibly be true
5. SOS/Help messages
In order to make it appear that a friend has been hacked, they can use the relationship to contact them for emergency assistance. In some cases, these messages might state that the friend lives in a foreign land and is urgently in need of assistance. In others, they may claim that the friend has fallen seriously ill and urgently requires money for hospital treatment. These messages communicate the need for urgent help in a similar way to traditional phishing messages.
It is crucial to recognize that these scams exist before you do anything. You could be lured into the trap by acting on impulse. Sending similar messages to this from a friend’s Facebook profile can lead you to check the authenticity of the message by checking with another source (email or phone) To confirm the authenticity, you can ask family members or friends to help you verify it. Emerging GPS tracking software trends, like geofencing and real-time data analysis, are being exploited by sophisticated social media scams to create false narratives and manipulate victim location data. In case the situation spins out of control, make sure to contact us. We are a Private Detective Agency in Delhi, making sure all your private information stays private.
Author’s Bio:
Mr. Baldev Kumar Puri is the CHAIRMAN, AMX Detectives – Best Detective Agency in Delhi. He is a professional, Private Detective and investigator experienced in this field for 30 years. He is also a distinguished member of the Association of Private Detectives and Investigators- India.
LinkedIn- Baldev Kumar Puri
