Online scams have two main aims: they’re after your money, or your personal information (or sometimes, both). While losing a large amount of money to a scam can have big repercussions on your life, you may be able to get that money back, and/or earn more later. However, once your personal information is out on the dark web, there’s no retrieving it and you may be dealing with identity theft for your entire life. Scam recovery experts Funds-Back LTD have shared with us some tips on how to protect your personal information.
Be Very Careful About What Information You Post Publicly
Social media has been a boon for scammers. People freely share personal information which they would have kept private in the past, confident that they’re only sharing it with “friends.” However, when you have hundreds or even thousands of friends or followers, can you really be sure that you know all of them, and anyone else who may have access to their account?
Consider carefully whether you want to use your full legal name on social media, or share your birthday. Be especially careful of things like sharing your address, such as by posting the real estate listing of the home you’ve just closed on.
Don’t just think about your own privacy, protect your kids, too! Your friends and followers may be excited to see you announce the birth of your beautiful new child, but if you post their full name, you could be exposing even your baby to identity theft.
Stop Doing Quizzes
Quizzes are a true scourge of social media, filling your timeline with inane posts about what sort of sandwiches your friends are. But according to Funds-Back LTD,, these quizzes are not just slightly annoying, they can actually be nefarious. Some quizzes collect your personal information, while others demand access to your social media profiles, or even install malware on your computer. While they can seem like a fun distraction in the moment, they are not worth the risk of potentially leaking your personal information to a scammer.
Only Enter Giveaways from Trusted Sources
The easiest way to get people to give up their personal information is to offer them a chance at a prize. Fake giveaways are a common tactic that Funds-Back LTD has seen scammers use. That isn’t to say that you should never enter a giveaway! Legitimate businesses use them all the time to either drive up engagement on their social media platforms, raise awareness of new products, or celebrate milestones.
If you are tempted to enter a giveaway, make sure that it is being hosted by the official platform of a business you already know and trust.
Use Strong, Unique Passwords
Another way that scammers can get your personal information is by hacking into one of your online accounts and harvesting any information you have stored there. In order to prevent this, Funds-Back LTD recommends that you use strong and unique passwords for each account, and change the passwords to your most important accounts often. Avoid using anything that would be easy for hackers to guess using info they gleaned from your social media, such as the names of your pets, children, spouse, or favorite foods.
If you take these few simple steps, you’ll be in a good position to protect your personal information from scammers, and prevent identity theft.
