Staying safe and anonymous on the Internet has become a lot harder than it used to be. Social media security plays a vital role in keeping you out of harm's way. It implies some particular precautions, but it's often overlooked. By taking note of the following tips, you'll neutralize some of the most significant risks connected to the use of social media.
1. Limit Information
If you wish to remain completely safe, it's crucial that you think twice before posting anything. Never reveal any potentially compromising information such as your phone number, address, financial details, or ID documents - this makes you an easy target for identity theft. Keeping your profile as private as possible will deter anyone with malicious intentions. This is not only relevant for textual information but also
photos, videos, and any other media. Even though it might be tempting to post about some new expensive item you bought, this will give everyone who has access to your profile an insight into your financial situation.
Imagine a situation where you just met a new person - would you tell them everything about your expensive car/jewelry? Use this comparison as a guideline whenever you're thinking about posting.
2. Avoid Links
Don't blindly click on any new link you receive, even if it's from someone you trust. When hackers gain access to a profile, they often message a malicious link to all the other profiles connected to it in hopes that someone else will fall for their scam.
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If you don't recognize the website, don't click on the link by any means. If, however, it seems to lead to an eminent domain that you realize, double-check each letter for spelling mistakes. Hackers often switch adjacent letters to link appear trustworthy.
In case you're unsure, you can always contact the person and ask if it was indeed them who messaged you.
3. Avoid Suspicious Emails
Even if your email address isn't public, you're not entirely safe. Scammers will often try to impersonate a representative of Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media to get you to disclose personal information by replying to their email or by clicking on an included link.
A faithful employee will never ask for anything that might compromise you. Furthermore, if there's indeed a serious issue, they'll find a way to contact you by other means.
Email services such as Yahoo and Gmail often have good filters in place to minimize the chance of successful scams. They can get bypassed, which is why it's best to stay safe and not open any emails unless you're 100% certain that they're legit.
4. Close Your Profile
All social media platforms have an option for making your profile either private or public. When private, your profile information, photos, posts, and everything else can only be seen by your friends and followers, which you explicitly approved.
It's always good to keep an eye on the number of mutual connections that you have with the other person. This way, you'll be able to eliminate fake profiles and retain your anonymity.
If you notice a malicious/fake account, you should always block it and report it.
5. Don't Reveal Your Location
It's become common for people to disclose their location on photos and posts. This is extremely dangerous as anyone could then find you in person. Not only do you put yourself at risk, but also your family, valuables, and even your friends.
Additionally, many platforms added the option to search posts by location, which puts you out into the open. If you do reveal your location, at least keep your profile private/closed.
6. Check An Individual with Spokeo
When purchasing anything via social media, it should come from a reliable seller. They usually only leave their phone number, which by itself doesn't reveal a whole lot of information. With Spokeo, however, you could gain a lot more insight.
Spokeo reverse phone lookup is a service with multiple connections to massive databases. These databases contain personal information of the phone number's owner, including name, address, criminal background, other social media profiles, etc. Billions of records are cycled through to retrieve only legitimate pieces of data.
With this kind of access, you could check the seller's claims and see what kind of history they have. Spokeo summarizes all results into an easy-to-read report so you could immediately determine whether the person is legit or not.
It's better to be safe than sorry, especially if you're looking to purchase a valuable item. By using a reverse number lookup service, you shouldn't worry about falling for a scam.
Maguire Haigh is a marketing manager for Spokeo. He is interested in the latest technology trends, marketing strategies, and business development. He also prefers traveling, exploring the world, and meeting new people. Maguire has excellent experience in creating and editing articles on different topics.