In today’s world, we all cannot deny the fact that social media and the internet have come to stay for good and have also become part of our day-to-day activities. There are a lot of benefits we enjoy from the use of social media, for example, communication, but there are also challenges we may face on social media, and one example of such is Social Media Identity Theft.
Social Media identity theft is becoming a fast-rising lucrative cybercrime, the reason being that it is a highly lucrative crime. Identity theft on social media can affect anyone, as long as he or she possesses a social media profile on any of the platforms such as Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and many others. But there are ways to avoid identity theft on social media.
It is of very paramount importance that users of social media should be able to react properly to identity theft from social media, this is because statistically, 3 out of 10 social media profiles are hacked daily, and identity theft happens on social media.
One of the ways social media identity theft occurs is through the use of malicious Malware. This is simply done by infecting your mobile device or personal computer or tablets with Malicious Malware; intended targets are sent links by thieves and online scammers; upon clicking any of these links, your personal information becomes easily accessible to them, hence they use it in stealing your identity.
Secondly is the use of Fake Accounts, social media identity thieves create fake accounts on social media platforms then pretend or impersonate existing people. All they need is a couple of photos of their victim and their names to create an account. After that, all they need to do is to send friend requests to their targets, then ask for money using charity as a cover for their heinous crimes. The victim may not even suspect or know until a few days or even weeks later.
Fake Ads are also used as a method of social media identity theft; the cybercriminals create fake Advertisements and pop them on the screen of their target. They can also advertise goods using fake company names, once a social media user clicks and enters his personal information in order to purchase the goods, the information is then used to steal his or her identity. Also, the information stolen can sometimes be used in taking out loans in your name, taking over your bank account, applying for tax refunds, and plenty others.
How to Prevent Identity Theft On Social Media
There are various ways and ideas on how to prevent identity theft on social media.
One of such is to use unique passwords, it is advisable that your passwords to your social media accounts be different and unique, and a mix-up of letters and numbers makes it difficult for your account to be hacked. Also, avoid the usage of phone numbers and birth dates as passwords.
Secondly, when Accessing social media via a public computer or another person’s device, it is advisable that you log out your accounts on the device, leaving your account on the device leaves it vulnerable to hackers. So ensure to log out before you leave the public café or return back the device in the case of a shared device.
Lastly, check out regularly whether other accounts using your name, photos or information exist, do this often so you can easily be aware of hackers skilled in identity theft through social networking sites.
Conclusion
People need to learn how to prevent identity theft on social media because of its undesirable consequences or results. Cybercriminals are working tirelessly to fraudulently deprive people of their hard-earned funds, which includes the stealing of their identities.
When it comes to information on social media identity theft and other cyber-related crimes, your one sure go-to destination is Radaris; with just a click, they provide comprehensive information about you or your target profile with accurate and reliable information. With this profile knowledge, you can easily tell if you have too much on the internet or not.
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