Facebook Cyber Crime: Don’t be a victim

As of September 2015, there were 1.55 billion monthly active Facebook users worldwide. Even though Facebook has changed they way the world communicates, there is a dark side to the popular social media service. Criminals use Facebook for crime. Still, there are simple ways to protect from becoming a victim. First, knowing what to look for will save you a bunch of heartache. Second, making a few minor changes will make it harder for the criminals to get you.

The Most Common Facebook Cyber Crimes

• Identity Theft

Criminals usually mine Facebook profiles for information that can be used to hack email accounts, which can give them access to a plethora of sensitive accounts. From there, they steal your identity and drain your bank accounts. 

• CyberStalking

Stalking is defined as repeated harassing or threatening behavior. This happens quite often on Facebook and can lead to dangerous situations for both involved. For a chilling case study, read about how Jason Smith used social media to terrorize Alexandra Scarlett.

• Scams

There are numerous scams that cycle through Facebook and each one has a twist. They are usually rather easy to identify because they are often too good to be true. Take for instance the recent flurry of people who reposted the message that Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s billionaire CEO, was giving money to a lucky few Facebook users. All they had to do to get a chance at “winning” the cash was to repost a fake message from Zuckerberg. You saw it, and so did criminals. In fact, security professionals believe the “Zuckerberg giveaway,” and postings like it, are used by criminals to locate potential victims.

How to protect yourself from Facebook Cyber Crimes

• Don’t Over Share

The more info you divulge, the more information criminals have to use for cybercrime. Pull back the reigns a little on posting everything about your life – especially locations, information about your children and personal data.

• Tweak Your Name

Ignore Facebook’s policy about providing your real name and alter it just a bit in order to make it harder for criminals to identify who you really are. To accomplish this, add a fake middle name or misspell your real name.

• Lock Down Your Account

Facebook has privacy settings that can help keep cyber criminals at bay, use the settings.