Social Media serves as an
excellent platform for people to stay connected with their family members,
friends and colleagues.
Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, Linkedin,etc have
become household names for Internet users. Thanks to smart phones, it is
possible to access these apps on the go. Apart from fun and entertainment,
social media has become a powerful platform that harnesses the applications of
digital technology by:
- Exposing injustices and atrocities noticed in everyday life to public
- Online shopping prospects are multiplied for the sellers due to sharing and posting of reviews by buyers
- Sites like Linkedin enable knowledge sharing on various professional competencies
- Media uses social media for wide outreach
- Social media is used to communicate news of urgency like death of family member to the world at large in a matter of seconds
- Financial companies can popularize investment schemes on a low advertisement budget
- By marking safety symbol on social media during emergencies like earthquakes and floods, the acquaintances of survivors can breathe easy
- Social Media is a haven for both employers and job seekers to improve hiring and employment prospects
On the other hand, social media
accounts are also increasingly being target by scammers to carry out various
scams online. Here is a look at why users need to be careful while using any
social media platform and keep an eye for any possible scams that may occur in
the future.
Social Media scams permeate the
above advantages and shock people out of their lives, when they realize their
privacy has been compromised. Social media scams on the Internet involve:
- Hacking into social media account
Unethical hackers can gain
unauthorized access into the accounts of people and misuse personal information
for committing other scams on the Internet like identity theft and fraud. The
possibility of misusing photos and contacts of friends, sending them dubious
messages on social media messengers etc., are further advances.
- Posting fraudulent investment advertisements
Thousands of people have fallen
prey to fake investment opportunities posted on social media. The fraudsters
also write fake reviews that might make their offer credible, when in reality
the investment company is non-existent and investors lose their hard earned
money.
- Fancy quizzes and surveys
Many social media users have
yielded to interesting quizzes and surveys, which can reveal how loveable you
are or how lucky you are by clicking and giving your basic details. There may
be hidden conditions where users have inadvertently complied with add-ons to
their Internet or mobile bills.
- Vulgar and obscene sites that may be posted on social media walls
Unknown friends are dangerous. Some
pornographic sites contain links that cause undesirable photos to be pasted on
social media accounts of all the friends of the person accessing the site. This
becomes a nuisance and embarrassment both to the person and his friends.
- Requests to share chain posts
There may be sudden requests to
share a post so that some miracle can happen or some charity will be benefited.
Threats of misfortune on ignoring to share posts may also be attempted to
target the weak-minded and have fun at their expense. These pranks jeopardize
prospects for legitimate charities who get benefited for every post shared in
mustering support for the needy.
Social media networks are no exclusions
to scams on the Internet. It is impossible to live without social media. The
only recourse is keeping abreast of all scams on the Internet and the beguiling
techniques of the scammers.
