About seven-in-10 people in the United States use social media platforms. Compare that number to just 5 percent of American adults in 2005, when the Pew Research Center started tracking social media habits to see just how much a part of daily life social media is right now.
It’s pretty hard to avoid a reliance on social media accounts — from getting one’s fix of daily news, to connecting with friends and relatives, to sharing content about how you spent your time on your most recent vacation.
As has been widely reported, this makes social media platforms rife with cybercriminal activity. Given its ubiquity, social media is just as much a hotbed for phishing scams and hacks as email and online banking, for example.
Why you should be wary of cybercrime on social media
Tech blogger Kim Komando reports that a recent survey from Checkpoint Research shows social media platforms WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Facebook made the top 10 list of faked brands used by phishing scammers.
It’s no surprise why social media companies — and the well-known brands associated with them — make for particularly potent hacking targets. They are often the places where users share their most personal, identifying data, from location to bank account information to images of personal contacts.
The top ten social platforms for scams
The website Government Technology highlights another study — this time from SocialCatfish.com — in which 726 members of a Facebook group “Social Catfish (SCF) Seekers” have all self-reported being scammed out of money online. The top 10 social sites that generated the most reports of these scams are:
Facebook
Google Hangouts
Instagram
WhatsApp
Plenty of Fish
Match.com
OurTime
Zoosk
Words With Friends
Tinder
Facebook came out at the top due to the large number of reported fake profiles that tend to flood the site and in users’ DMs. This was similar to another popular social platform — owned by Facebook — Instagram. On the photo-sharing app, fake accounts tend to proliferate, sending users at times deceiving messages asking for financial and personally identifying information.
Practice sound judgment online
Fake accounts that look and sound like real people defined the connective theme throughout the survey. It underscores the importance of being vigilant about who you interact with online and, most importantly, what kind of information you’re sharing.
Unless you are interacting with a merchant or a bank you know and trust, do not share your personal financial information or anything sensitive such as personal address or social security number. If you ever receive a message from a bot that seems to be asking for this intrusive information, steer clear.
All of these platforms have methods of reporting potential scams. If you suspect you are receiving solicitation from a hacker or a scam account, please report the suspicious account and block them from viewing or accessing your page.