The first social networking site was Sixdegrees.com which originated in 1997, followed by few other famous sites such as MySpace and Orkut. These sites were launched at a time when internet usage amongst the public was not so profuse. Now, in a few decades, the internet has become one of the basic commodities. People would now pop their eyes out if one doesn’t have the internet at home.
Facebook, a social networking site that came into being in 2004, was initially initiated in Harvard University, initially only for its students. But later on, people from all over the world could access it. Facebook changed billions of lives and the definition of being connected all over the world. It was made public for interactions, meeting new people, and getting to know others. After being such a grand hit, entrepreneurs started the business with the help of it as well. It is now a platform for many companies for promotions and creating awareness programs that inspire, move, and entertain people.
As good exists, so does the bad, and people like hackers who love easy money have made Facebook a perfect spot where the young and innocent expose themselves sometimes a little too much, without much knowledge or caution. Statistics say 9 people among 10 have Facebook accounts and are hyperactive on it. Everything they do is on their wall within moments. With these, they often give away too much information, and their security becomes vulnerable.
The main motto of Facebook scams is to hack the account primarily and then trap the user by different methods. It is increasing day by day and making cash out of one’s ignorance. The following are some of the methods of how mercenaries try to fraud and misuse Facebook.
1.Easily targeted for open accounts: People these days, to draw more attention or to be popular in their circle, keep their profile “Public.” They let their personal issues, their check-ins, their favorite hangout spots are visible to the whole world, and when one wants to trap them, they get to know minute details of that person’s life. The hackers access their daily routine and lifestyle to understand what kind of a person they are dealing with. Scammers even know their social and financial status by this. They draw out a plan, meet these innocent people directly or indirectly and lure money. When someone’s profile is public, hackers can download photos of women or men, morph and blackmail them by using these pictures.
2.Phishing: One other dangerous scam is phishing, through which scammers and hackers can hack your information about your social network id and passwords and also bank details.
3.Through URL direction: You get a chat message or pop-up on Facebook asking you to like or remind you about some event or photo. When you click on it, it leads to a URL link that looks like a legitimate website where you can enter your Facebook credentials. That is the time when hackers acquire complete details about your user details with which they can log in to your account.
Phishing has been in many forms. Emails or ad pop-ups are the most common ones through which they try to lead you into an unknown website where you have to enter your details. In this way, through calls, they ask for your card number and details of your bank account.
4.Free giveaways such as lottery, gift coupons, and best deals are ways to allure the users to click on the link to hack accounts.
5.You can also see a few posts portraying to give secret information or sex tapes of celebrities or heart-wrenching videos of abusing animals or pornographic sites to re-login your details. They are nothing but a trap to get your information.
6.Fake accounts: Scammers use your friends’ or relatives’ profile pictures that are public and open fake accounts as them and add you as a friend initially. They send some fake ads where they say they have won some amount through that. The moment you click on it, you will be redirected to the process where they might charge you a basic amount to avail of the winning prize. When you ask your friend about it on the fake account, the response would be positive on their side to make the necessary payment. Many people have been scammed in such ways.
7.Virtual relationships: Most teenagers are targeted under this section as they are at an age where they wish to meet new people, make new friends, and new relationships. Scammer adds one is a stranger, shares their fake status in society, befriends individuals, and tries to get to know their information and personal life. They then blackmail them, saying they will post the chats or mail them to their parents if they fail to provide the money.
How to exterminate such scams:
- Do not log in with your details except on the official websites.
- Do not click on any absurd or bizarre links portraying scandalous information.
- Confirm if you get multiple ad requests from your existing friends.
- Be careful when you befriend strangers.
- If targeted as victims, warn your friends and relatives by spreading awareness to stop the hacking.
- Never hesitate to complain to the cybercrime departments by worrying about your reputation as you will get immediate help and save many innocent people from such scams.
- Stay away from the virtual world.
- Change your privacy settings to the trusted people where a third person or strangers cannot access your profile.
- Preferably change the password once in 3 months.
- Enable login verification is linked up to your mobile so that your account is logged in every time you get an alert message.
Facebook or any other social network site is not 100% safe, so beware of all the recent scams and be cautious. It is good to have a social life; at the same time, one should have some privacy to have a peaceful life.
Author bio :
Madhuri Naidu
Writing is my passion and motivation as it inspires my own soul and others. . Poet by heart. Blogger & avid reader. Woman with Wanderlust.
