Although many American adults use social media to some extent and has become very common, this new form of communication has also become one of the fastest growing places for criminals to steal your identity. They use all sorts of scams and tools to get your personal information that they can use in the future for figuring out your login user-names and passwords.
Limit Your Audience: Keep your social pages limited to only a small group of family and friends that you really know. Don’t post anything and everything that is going on in your life. Even posts of your pet with his or her name give thieves “clues” as to possible login credentials for your bank or credit card. Check your security settings on your profiles to make sure they are set to the highest level. You need to know who can, and who can not see your posts and personal contact information such as your phone number and email.
Stay Safe, Organized and Simple: Don’t use the same passwords over and over, and set a reminder date on your calendar to change them on a regular basis. One great tool for managing all of your passwords is LastPass. They offer a free version that will help keep your login credentials neat and organized.
Beware the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Be very cautious of any links posted on any Social Media platform, even if they seem reputable. Verify that the link is indeed from the company or individual that it represents. These criminals like to use giveaways, surveys and contests to lure you and trap you into giving out even more personal information. Remember the adage, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.