Photo credits: Nate & Tilly Ritter
Social media networks can be a lot of fun – not to mention useful – but you really need to make sure you take steps to stay safe. Knowing how to avoid social media scams is an important skill to have in the Information Age. The good news is that it’s not that difficult to avoid them if you use common sense and are careful when you’re online. We’ve put together a list of several specific tips you can use to make sure you don’t run into any problems.
How to Avoid Social Network Scams
Here’s a look at some specific ways that you can avoid scams no matter what social media network you visit frequently.
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Privacy Settings – The first thing you’re going to want to do is spend some time learning about the privacy settings for whatever site you’re on. For some – like Facebook – this can take quite a bit of time before you understand, but it’s essential if you want to protect yourself from scams.
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Know Your Friends – While you may want to get as many “friends” as you can, this isn’t really that smart. Try to only allow people you really know in real life to be part of your social circles online.
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Ignore Unknown Links – If you see a link from a source you don’t recognize, ignore it or delete it if possible. Following links from strangers online is usually not a good idea on social media sites.
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Avoid Public Computers – Like public bathrooms, you should avoid using public computers as often as possible. You never know if one is infected with a keystroke logger that will allow others access to your social media accounts.
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Be Cautious – This is common sense, but it can be easy to get caught up in the moment online. Learn to take your time and not get involved – by clicking links – until you know exactly what’s going on and that you’re dealing with someone who can be trusted completely.
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Software and Firewalls – You should also make sure your anti-virus programs are up to date with their definition file. Additionally, you might think about installing a firewall so that you can add another layer of protection between you and the bad guys online. Luckily, you can usually find free software that will help protect you. Just make sure you set it up correctly.
By following the advice above, you’re going to be able to avoid the scams while still being able to keep up with the fam. You don’t need to avoid social networks completely, but you should be very selective about which sites you visit and how you interact with people you might not know personally.
Written by: Maegred Mithi is working in copper industry. Her job is to buy ethanol and remove the rust from the raw copper. She is also studying on line reputation management, because she has special interest in online world algorithms that affects the search engine results.
