The 7 Worst Social Media Scams

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Cyber criminals are everywhere, they’re even terrorizing your social media news feed!


In this day and age your personal information such as where you go, what you do, who you chat to and what you like can be used as valuable data by cyber criminals. These cyber criminals will sell your private data to people who will use it to target ads, launch campaigns and other malicious operations.

You may be thinking to yourself, I’m only one person; no one is going to target me. Well, you’re very wrong! Should you fall victim to a social media scam it not only affects you, it affects your entire network of friends and contacts.

Make sure you know these common social media scams and avoid them as best you can…

1. Quizzes, Surveys & Contests. These scams are cute enough to make you think they’re completely innocent. And while you might think it’s all fun and games when they ask you your mothers date of birth or maiden name so you can see what Game of Thrones character you are, they are in fact getting information about you and your loved ones – do not click on these!

2. Clickbait. It’s almost irresistible to ignore that headline and not click on that unbelievable article, but the truth is it’s just bad actors doing a really good job at knowing what clickbait will tempt you. Should you click you’ll be redirected to where they want you to go, most of the time it’s to a fake login page where they can steal your information!

3. Cash Requests. Someone you know is desperately asking for money be aware that it could be someone who has hacked into their account and is not spamming every one of their friends, asking for money. Always double check with your friend if you receive a request for money on a social media website.


4. Short URLs. They save space, but criminals on social media sites are using these shortened URLs to trick you into clicking them and spreading virus, malware and so much more! Before you click on anything, check on http://www.checkshorturl.com/ to ensure it will take you to the official website.

5. Suspicious Friend Requests. This one is obvious, but whenever someone sends you a friend request always ask yourself, why? If you can’t think of a reason rather ignore the friend request. In today’s digital world, you can never trust the kindness of strangers, especially those on social media.

6. Double friend Requests. You have probably experienced this one before, you received a friend requests from a friend you already have and justify it as their new profile or a mishap and accept the request. Well, it’s not your friend; it’s a cybercriminal hoping you let them in!

7. Fake Emergencies. These “emergencies” will seem to be from a friend or the social media site itself informing you of something critically important on your account. Cyber criminals are hoping you’ll be a panicked state and enter your login details, giving them access to your private information. Never trust links within messages, posts, or emails.

The good news for you is that these scams are easy to spot and avoid, the bad news is that millions of users who are not tech-savvy will be innocent enough to fall for them!

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Have you fallen victim? At OSINT, we will do what we can to assist you, call 021 110 0422, email contact@osint.co.za or learn more here www.osint.co.za

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