Here Are Some Tips for Avoiding Social Media Scams 2023

Cybercriminals constantly devise new schemes to defraud unwary social media users, frequently aiming to get account login credentials, private data, or bank and credit card information.

The most prevalent Facebook and Instagram frauds of 2023 are described, along with advice on how to prevent them, by cybersecurity expert Liz Wegerer of VPNOverview.com.

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Instagram Scams

Instagram is used by over one billion people each month, making it the world’s fourth most popular social networking site. Cybercriminals are aware of this and have many strategies to access your account and take your personal data. They consist of:

Fraud Scammers offers: Fraudsters make extravagant returns on modest investments.
phony inquiries for brand collaboration: You’ll get a big return for a tiny investment, according to con artists.
Selling likes and followers: Encourage you to submit a small donation in exchange for like or follow packages, but when you send financial information, your personal information is taken.
Giveaways: entice you to enter a contest, but when you go to claim your prize, you are required to pay a fee or enter personal information.
phony brand accounts: Under the pretense of a well-known brand, sell fake goods (or never deliver the promised goods at all) to empty your bank account.

Facebook Scams

The most widely used social media platform in the world is Facebook, where con artists frequently prey on unwary individuals. Due to the high number of users, fraudsters have access to a sizable population of potential victims. Here are some of the methods they use most frequently:

Phishing fraud: shady links in emails or direct messages that download malware or log users’ credentials on fake websites.
Romance: Friend requests and direct messages that try to arouse romantic interest in order to defraud the victim of their money.
Rewards or job offers: claims intended to trick the victim into giving up personal information or money, such as “You’ve won!” scams.
The Quizzes and games: are designed to collect personal information from the respondent by using the type of data that would be used to construct a password or provide the answer to a security question for an online account.
Charity requests: Using websites like GoFundMe, one can create a fictitious charity to solicit funds during a tragedy.

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Here’s how to stay clear of them on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites.

Change Your Privacy Settings to Lockdown

By default, your Instagram is set to “public,” which means that anybody may view your posts. Set your account to “private” so that only followers you’ve given permission for may see your posts, leave comments, and DM you. While you can never conceal your profile or cover photographs on Facebook, you can nearly completely hide anything else from people who aren’t on your friend list by using your settings.

2FA and strong passwords

Using strong passwords and turning on two-factor authentication is one of the simplest ways to stop unauthorized logins to your accounts (2FA). With this in place, anyone attempting to log in from an unfamiliar device or location will now additionally need to provide a one-time code in addition to the username and password that were delivered to their phone.

Check Often for Accounts in Your Name

Be in the habit of frequently searching Facebook and Instagram for your name to prevent harm from someone cloning your accounts and utilizing these false accounts maliciously. This is a quick and simple approach to spot fake accounts and report them.

Reject Friend Requests from People You Don’t Know
Make it a habit to refuse friend requests from people you don’t know. The likelihood that you will be approached with a scam increases with the number of friends you have that you do not know.

Avoid clicking on shady links or unsolicited emails

Avoid clicking on unsolicited videos or links, whether they come from phishing emails or a friend’s private message. Before clicking, confirm with your friend that you received the message. especially if it contains sensitive information about you or contains language like “OMG! Are you here? or “Have you seen this yet?