Police Issue Cautionary Instructions As Social Media Fraud Persists

A concerning trend of cyber fraud has emerged, with fraudsters actively targeting various social media platforms, including Facebook. The police are urging caution among users as these criminals employ new and sophisticated strategies. The scammers’ latest modus operandi involves creating fake websites resembling those of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.The Scammers’ Devious Approach: These scammers initiate their operations by replicating the appearance of messages typically sent by social media companies, such as warnings about video content, music, and other media created by influencers that purportedly violate community standards, monetization procedures, and copyright regulations. Unwitting users, thinking these messages are genuine, click on the embedded links. By following the scammers’ instructions, users inadvertently provide their usernames and passwords, thereby enabling the fraudsters to take control of their social media accounts.

Preventing Social Media Hacking: To protect your social media accounts from falling into the wrong hands, it’s vital to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Utilize robust, difficult-to-guess passwords for your social media accounts and associated email addresses. Regularly change your passwords and refrain from writing them down.
2. Avoid using easily guessable passwords such as birthdays, years, mobile phone numbers, vehicle numbers, or the names of family members.
3. Treat your logged-in social media accounts with the same care as you would your bank accounts in the event of losing your mobile phone, laptop, or computer.
4. Implement two-step verification for your social media accounts to add an extra layer of security.
5. Exercise caution when responding to messages on social media platforms, including email, messenger, Instagram Direct, and mobile phone SMS messages. Under no circumstances should you click on embedded links.