Social Media Safety Tips

May 11, 2022

These days it seems like everyone is on social media. Your grandparents, your pastor and even your bank can all likely be found with a quick Facebook search. Afterall, social media is a great tool to stay connected to friends and family and your favorite brands and organizations! However, it’s important to remember that while you’re having fun sharing bits of your life online, there are scammers that can take that information and use it against you. Here are a few ways to protect yourself on social media:

1. Be wary of “About Me” type quizzes: You’ve all seen the quizzes online where people share their answers to questions such as, “Favorite type of food” or “First pet’s name”. These seem innocent enough but posting your answers to these questions could give scammers the personal information they need from you to answer your security questions and hack into various accounts.
2. Watch out for posts that ask you to find out something like your “Superhero Name” by combining personal information such as your mother’s maiden name and the street you grew up on. Posts like these could be a sly way for a scammer to find out very personal pieces of information, that again, could lead to your accounts being hacked.
3. Think twice before clicking on quiz links. Clicking on quizzes that ask questions like “Can We Guess Your Age?” or “Which Harry Potter House Do You Belong To?” can lead you to sites with dangerous downloads or viruses.

The bottom line when it comes to social media safety is that the more personal information you put out online, the more at-risk you are for identity theft and other sophisticated scams. It’s easy to let your guard down while using social media because it’s a tool for fun and connection but remember to stop and think before you click or post.