Random posts often appear on our Facebook timeline which
appear to be posted by our friends, but many of them turn out to be malware
designed by cybercriminals. Most of these posts are potential threats that may expose
sensitive information which may be stored in our Facebook profiles. Wondering
how to know which posts are to be avoided?
Slovakian antivirus and security software developer ESET has listed six social posts that Facebook users should never click on.
Slovakian antivirus and security software developer ESET has listed six social posts that Facebook users should never click on.
"One-fact story"
First is posts that suggests giving
"one-fact story". We often we come across links on our timeline which
highlight a breaking celebrity gossip or expose. It is better to Google about
the matter rather than directly click on it as it can be a potential malware
intended to steal your personal information.
Breaking news
The links which appear to be
breaking a global news story too are best to be stayed away from. These links
may often appear in our Facebook feed as suggested posts. It is best to avoid
them as they can inadverantly lead to downloading of malware.
The post which begs for ‘Likes’
Never "like" posts which
ask for more likes for some sort of a social cause. It is better to go to your
Facebook’s Activity Log in the new Graph Search and ensure that you haven't
"Liked" any companies, products or sites that you don't want the
world to know about.
Diet posts
Often our timeline is flooded with
posts that offer great dieting tips or ‘Amazing weight loss’ programmes.
Scammers often hawk "diets offering weight loss". So better to stay
away from posts promising amazing diets or slimming programmes on
Facebook.
Unknown news sources
On internet, unknown spells danger.
Same is on Facebook. Abstain from clicking on posts from news outlets you have
not heard about. Cybercriminals often send out bogus news links to blend in
with the flurry of "real" news.
Gift cards
Gift cards offering free samples or
gifts is one of the fastest spreading online scams. It was recently seen on on
picture-sharing network Pinterest, where a stage of getting that "free
gift" is, inevitably, to share the post with all your friends. Users don’t
get any free gifts, but instead, end up giving their personal details or
downloading malware which steals sensitive personal information.
