Thanks to technology, people from all four corners of the planet are able to log onto social media platforms like Facebook to connect with others. If you’re a lover of social media, the chances are you already have an account on such platforms. However, how you conduct yourself and interact with others could be putting you in harm’s way without you even realizing it.
Whether your aim is to make online friends or you’re looking for love on an online dating platform like Tinder, here are 7 social media safety tips that you need to remember.
(1) Don’t Share Too Much
When signing up for a social media platform, it’s only natural that you will want to share your life with your loved ones. While some information is suitable to share, there can be other facts you give out which reveal too much about you. Even if you only have your friends and family on your feed, you should never give out your home address or phone number. You can never be too sure about who is watching your posts, so it’s extremely important that you don’t share your credit card number or banking information too.
(2) Adjust Privacy Settings
Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, all three social networking giants have default or pre-set privacy settings in place. Designed to keep you safe and protected, most social media users feel these settings are sufficient enough, but if you want to go one step further, you can alter your privacy settings to ensure that only your friends and family can see your content.
(3) Be Careful About Your Work History
If you use social networking websites like LinkedIn, users are allowed to post their resume and other work-related information to gain employment. While you may not think you’re doing anything wrong, sharing too much work-related information can expose too much about your personal life, giving cybercriminals the opportunity to retrieve your personal data and hack into your account. The last thing you want is to be dealing with identity theft, so being careful about how much work history you share is important.
(4) Verify Who You’re Connecting With
Many social networking users use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to make connections with others from around the world. If you have made internet friends and are planning to meet up, you should always have your guard up as you can never be too sure they are legit. Before meeting anyone online, you should consider performing a Mugshot Lookup at Public Records Reviews. If you believe the person you’re speaking to may have a criminal past, a mugshot lookup can either put your mind at ease or confirm your suspicions. You can also use Public Records Reviews for name change records, arrest records, and felonies, helping to keep you protected.
(5) Be Wary of Over-Friending
Whether you use platforms like Facebook for business or pleasure, creating an account and adding friends can be exciting and exhilarating. As your friend’s list goes up, you may accidently add people you may not even know. While in most instances you can swiftly delete someone you don’t recognize, there is the threat that you may have added somebody who has bad intentions. There are many naïve users on social media who scammers prey on, so if someone begins conversing with you and you don’t feel comfortable, your first rule of thumb is to block and delete the user.
(6)Use a Strong Password
Your security of social media is paramount, so if you aren’t very tech-savvy, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a family member or friend to ensure your password is strong and secure. Creating a strong password will prevent a hacker from accessing your account and retrieving personal information. To create a strong password, it’s best to pick one that has 8 or more characters that are a mixture of both numbers and letters. If you want to add an extra layer of protection, it’s advised to change your password every three months.
(7) Click Links with Caution
If you enjoy being social and engaging with others, you need to be on the lookout for suspicious links. Even if you are tech-savvy and do everything you can to keep yourself safe on social media, family members and friends may not be as in the know and could get hacked, so if they start sending you questionable content and suspicious links, this is a tell sale sign that they have been hacked. You will know your friends and family more than anyone, so if you believe their account has been compromised, make sure that you let them know immediately.
While there are many positives that you can gain from using social media, there will always be individuals who are up to no good lurking around, so using all the safety tips listed above can help keep you protected and out of danger when using social media.