In the early days of the internet, emails used to be the main medium for planning scams and sending malware to ordinary people. However, with time many people began discovering ways to tackle these email scams.
So, does this mean that these scamsters suddenly ran out of a job? The answer is no. These digital miscreants upgraded their digital scams and followed masses, especially children, to the popular social media platform called ‘Facebook.’ Here are some common digital issues that have troubled children using Facebook in the past and are continuing to do so.
- Fake Links
Scamsters try to lure children by sending them fake news or fake giveaway options. These false messages are often filled with malware and different types of viruses. The whole point of sending such alluring messages is to compel the user to click on the mentioned link and propagate malware. Some examples are:
- Direct messages embedded with links
- Links requesting another login request for Facebook. This is done to harvest a person’s account.
- Surveys are conducted to gather information about a person for the purpose of hijacking an account, identity theft, and spear phishing.
2. Fake Accounts– There are many types of scams associated with Facebook accounts that children are an easy target of. These include:
Account Cloning: In this case, a Facebook user receives a second friend request even though they are already connected on Facebook with the sender. Therefore, in this case, children should never accept a second friend request
Friend of Friend/Relative: Scamsters try to gain the trust of children by creating and operating an account of the child’s friend or a close relative. These accounts are usually created to achieve the personal data of the user.
How parents can protect their children from these scams:
- Setup Security
Children have a notion that their Facebook accounts are always safe and secure. However, many children lock their posts but forget to lock their photographs, check-ins, etc. These details act as a great source of information for scammers.
Therefore, it is necessary that everything should be locked down first, and the whole setup should be checked again. Facebook location tracker is also an effective option to ensure the child’s safety online.
- Real World Suspicion
Consider this situation, a person comes to meet and says that he lived in your neighbourhood ten years ago. Minutes later, he asks you for your bank account number to lend you Rs. 20,000, you’d be suspicious.
This is the same scenario with scamsters in the online world, and one has to stay more alert to fall into such traps. Therefore, as parents, you should take extra steps to ensure that your child does not become a target of such scamsters. Never trust someone online until you fully verify the communicator.
Final Thought
Facebook has emerged as a popular social media platform, and more people from the younger generation, especially children, are getting drawn to it. With increasing Facebook scams, parents must take the necessary steps such as the usage of phone tracker to keep their children out of scamsters’ reach.