According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), more than 95,000 people lost money due to social-media-related fraud (accounting for more than $770 million). This means no one is immune to these rapidly-evolving sophisticated Social Media scams. However, knowing the common social media threats will ensure you don’t become a victim.

Today, we take a comprehensive look at the top five Social Media Scams in 2022 to help safeguard your online presence – including ways to avoid them.

Hijacking Personal Profiles

Some criminals hijack profiles of people close to you – friends or family members. Therefore, they earn your trust and ask you to click on malicious links or send funds. These criminals can either take over an existing account or create a fake account.

How can you avoid or detect hijacked accounts? Well, start by keeping your profile private and verifying every friend request you get. It will also help to monitor changes in behavior or tone when interacting with friends and family on social media. Luckily, companies like Enformion can help you with identity verification. 

Clickbait Headlines

Have you come across those tempting messages or headlines that seem too good to be true? Well, most of these misleading texts attempt to increase web traffic. However, some have viruses and malware that can compromise your data.

The only way to avoid becoming a victim of Clickbait scams is by ignoring unrecognizable links. Ensure you stay away from any suspicious links, even from a friend or family member. Finally, do not click on any messages or headlines without a name.

Fake Celebrity and Company Accounts

You will come across several fake celebrity accounts when scrolling through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Although most of these pages are created in good fun, some can be rather malicious. Cyber attackers find it easier to lure victims by posing as famous individuals.

What’s even worse is attackers who create fake company profiles. They respond to client complaints in an attempt to collect user account details. These cyber-attacks give you a link to a phishing website that collects all your personal information.

 Watch out for a ”verified” badge when dealing with celebrities or companies. It will also help to never share personal details on social media. Legitimate companies never ask for account information on social media pages.

Job and Lottery Scams

Social media offers a new platform where attackers can squeeze funds from the many individuals looking to make some quick money or find jobs. Thousands of people click on links promising high-paying jobs or lottery winnings. However, these attackers ask for an advance fee to secure the jobs or prizes for the winners.

Avoid sending money for services or goods yet to be received. It will also help to guard your resume because scammers can use your personal information elsewhere on the web. Scrutinize any information you share publicly to avoid identity theft.

Romance Scams

According to Psychology Today, almost one in every five relationships starts online. Criminals are, therefore, taking advantage of this fact to swindle people looking for love. Known as Catfishers, they put months into gaining a victim’s trust before asking for money.

When active on dating sites, ensure you watch out for everything that seems too good to be true. Other warning signs include people giving excuses not to video chat or meet in person or professing love rather quickly. It will also help to avoid anyone asking for financial assistance on these dating sites and apps.

The Bottom Line

Keep away from everything that seems too good to be true because it usually is. It will also help to avoid clicking any unnecessary links or pages. Hopefully, the pointers above can help better protect your online presence. Want to learn more? Ensure you check out our blog for more insights. 

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