“Help! Can I borrow some money?”

Update -10-21-09:  Apparently the hacker gained access to my friend’s account when they sent an email, posing as Facebook, asking her to change/reset her password. When she did, they gained access to her Facebook account and her Yahoo email. One more tip: Always go directly to the site to update your password.

Yesterday two of my friends were victims of on online hackers. One had her facebook account hacked into, and the other fell victim to the scam and sent money to a friend she thought was “stranded.” I don’t believe there is a way to guarantee your content on social media is 100% safe, but do what you can to ensure the information you do have posted is protected.

CNN just published an article about the recent increase in online scams with a few tips to keeping your information safe; I’ve also included a few of mine. To read the entire article, click here

Tips for protecting yourself against online scams:

1. Change your password frequently.

2. Don’t use the same password for your all your social media accounts that you use for your online banking.

3. Adjust Web site privacy settings.

4. Be careful what you click on.

5. If you do come across someone asking for money, ask them questions only they would know, or just have them call you. If it turns out to be a scam, contact Facebook immediately.

http://www.facebook.com/safety/ or email abuse@facebook.com

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