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As social media continues to grow, new threats to our accounts emerge. One such threat is social media scraping. Social media scraping is where a person or application collects and stores multiple users’ personal information from their social media accounts, including their date of birth, contact number, holiday details and more.
While social media scraping tools were created to improve market research, many of these tools are now misused by cybercriminals as ammunition for cyberattacks, including personally targeted spear phishing, identity fraud or malicious hacking attacks.
Want to know how to protect yourself? Check out our recommendations below!
Our recommendations:
Check your privacy settings
Adjust your privacy settings to match your comfort level. Decide who can view your posts and personal information.
Hide your old posts from the public
Old posts could be seen by future employers and may not represent who you are today. Hiding them helps you control your online presence and avoid any misinterpretations.
Avoid fake and unknown accounts
Cybercriminals often create fake accounts or hack real ones to steal your identity or money. Watch for low follower counts, few posts, or poor-quality photos, which can signal a fake profile. To start you may want to look in your current friends list and remove any unknown or fake accounts you identify. If something seems off, verify with the person directly and report fake accounts with the respective social media platform.
Embrace Multi-Factor Authentication
Passwords are just the starting point for securing your social media accounts; enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of protection and keep your accounts safe, even if your password is compromised. For more information see the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSCs) webpage.
Further information
For more information on staying cyber secure, refer to the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSC) guide and checklist. If think you’ve fallen for a scam and need assistance, visit the ACSC’s how to recover from scams website.
This article has been brought to you by Digital & Technology Solutions
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