A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an Inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

Sember 28, 2022

SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT HACKS

Attribution scambusters.org

Millions of users are hit every year by social media account hackers.

It’s one of the fastest growing and most alarming Internet crimes, with security experts estimating that somewhere between 20 and 40 percent of all social network accounts have been compromised at some point.

The number one way of hacking an account is simple: The crook poses as a friend of the intended victim asking for help accessing his own (the “friend’s”) account. The message includes a link the victim is supposed to click. But doing so enables the hacker to take over their account and even block access to the real user.

A hacked account can currently be sold on the dark web to scammers and identity thieves for around $50 – one of the most valuable pieces of stolen consumer information currently being traded by hackers.

Once a hacker has control of an account, they have access to the victim’s entire list of friends who will be targeted next.  It’s like a giant pyramid scheme where the number of potential victims multiplies with each account takeover.

Important actions you can take to protect yourself from a social media account takeover:

*If you receive a friend request from someone you’re already linked to, it’s almost certainly a hacking scam, so don’t click on the “accept” button. And then let your friend know.

*If the request comes from someone you know but who you’re not following, again don’t click to accept. Contact the person independently and check that they did

*Always use a strong and unique password for each social media account and use a second pass code or other type of multi-factor authentication (MFA) such as those sent via text messages.

 *Learn more about two-factor authentication from our earlier issue: https://scambusters.org/passwordsecurity2.html.

*If you learn of a data breach affecting your social media account, change your password immediately.

*Don’t download third party apps promoted on your social media account. They can be used to hack your account.

What to do if Your Account Has Been Hacked:

You want to regain control of your account as soon as possible. If the hacker hasn’t changed your password and you still have access to the account, change it yourself immediately.

If you’re locked out, you need to contact the network provider. Different sites have different ways of dealing with it. Search on the phrase “My ——- account has been hacked” (insert the media network name in place of the dashes) and look for results that are actually from the network company.

It’s also important to let your friends know, via email or a message service, to put them on the alert.

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