how thieves hunt on social media for their theft

Is your social media usage compromising your online security?

IT Update18th May 2016

Social Media Theft In today’s day and age the more we spend time online, the more our lives

become susceptible to online attacks

Numerous online consumer complaints regarding services such as travel, banking, finance and even online shopping do throw light on the way in which the internet is changing things — almost permanently in some cases

From setting up of false identities to stealing money from bank accounts, there are a number of ways in which thieves lurking online, may cheat you and even land you in troubled waters

This presentation shall cover the loopholes in Social Media and how to protect ourselves from being financially attacked


How Social Media makes us Vulnerable

1. Targeted advertising that requires personal information• Social media platforms such as Facebook use personal information to suggest ads that

might interest their users• Information such as someone’s full name, date of birth, affiliations with organizations,

primary email address and even location related details can be misused by online thieves

• Such information can enable a thief to use it to create an account on your name and then misuse it to attack others (trolling is one such criminal activity)

• Identity theft is on the rise in India and there are cases where an unsuspectingperson’s personal information has been used to make malicious moves



2. Your bank-related information is not safe

• Thieves lurking online may use seemingly innocuous information such as a location check-in on Facebook to see that their potential target is away on business

• This may open up your business or home for crimes such as burglary. Moreover, it may also pose a risk to you as your whereabouts are now public and can be used to target you. Even if physical threat is not your concern, your location-related details can give away crucial information such as your home and work addresses

• These are necessary bits of information that are routinely used for activities such as opening a bank account or even applying for a credit card. Therefore, if in case, in an unfortunate moment an online thief accesses your addresses coupled with other information such as your full name, your parents’ name, and your date of birth, they can access your bank account using services such as phone banking and make transactions and even changes to your account information

• There are numerous accounts of consumer grievance incidents related to bank fraud and it is steadily on the rise



3. Excessive social media usage makes one vulnerable

• Not only is your personal information at risk due to excessive use of social media, you may become a target as well. Online trolling of people based on information that they provide is not only psychologically damning but may affect one’s reputation as well

• More than that, with every nugget of personal information that you put online, you are opening yourself up to online criminal activities such as phishing scams, excessive promotional emails from untrustworthy sources and attempts to hack into your email and even control your devices such as your laptop and smartphone via viruses and malicious malware

• Most of these entities operate under the garb of being professional or even branded companies (this is achieved by masking their identity using trademarked pictures and logos used by the real entities)

• Even the most careful person, may fall for these con ‘artists’.


Is there no way out of this? The ways in which online thieves operate may discourage people from using social media. However, that is not the answer. There are little things that you can do to make your social media accounts attack-free

• Do not accept friendship-related requests from individuals you do not know. Even if these people share friends with you, you need to thoroughly check before saying ‘yes’ to that request

• Do not put out unnecessary details about yourself online. Keep your identity safe

• In any case, do not share sensitive details such as your ATM pin or credit card expiration date online; even on social media messaging apps with family or friends. Call them and give them the information if it is urgent

• In case you have been cyber-attacked in any way, make sure to file an online consumer complaint. This will help you seek professional help in dealing with legalities if they arise

• Make sure that when you file a consumer complaint online, you thoroughly check the identity and credential of the organization that you are reaching out to. Only enlist the services of an organization that is respectable and which has had prior experience in solving such customer grievance-related cases.


• The final tip in case of maintaining the safety of your social media presence is to be safe and vigilant. The internet is a vast space and yes, it does offer us an enhanced quality of life by enriching our daily existence via interactions with friends and family and a wealth of information — however, you need to practice caution and ensure your own safety

Be Social, Stay Safe

InstaRemedy –At your Service Always

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To help troubled consumer at their time of need is InstaRemedy – “An e-Commerce platform facilitating consumer grievance resolutions”.

InstaRemedy aims to facilitate resolution of consumer grievances that remain unanswered, unattended thereby building up a better bond between customers and brands.

If you have any Complaints against any brand then you can contact us through• Website : www.instaremedy.com• Call : 022-39966111• Email : [email protected]

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