Ramblings of an old Doc

Seems as though a new scam is coming out for every new member that joins the site. While it’s best to stay vigilant and read up on the latest scams to avoid, there are a few other tips that will keep you ahead of the game, protecting your profile 24 hours a day.

With all of your personal information and photographs posted on Facebook, the last thing you want is to find that your account has been hacked or accessed without your permission. We’ve put together a list of ways that you can protect yourself from the latest scams, making sure that your Facebook account is never compromised.

Follow The Sophos Blog

Antivirus developers, Sophos, report on the latest Facebook phishing scams practically on a daily basis on their blog, Naked Security. There seems to be no limit to the rogue applications preying on people’s curiosity, or the desire to activate certain features on their Facebook profiles through these apps. Sophos is one of the best sources today when it comes to Facebook scams.

ie 9

See my article posted today here. Turns out it’s the safest browser to use for Social Networking sites!

SafeGo

BitDefender’s SafeGo is a Facebook application designed to keep users aware and protected from spam and any kind of threat that might be floating around Facebook. SafeGo scans your profile for any suspicious links, and you also have the option of allowing the app to automatically post a comment to your wall when a threat is detected.

Facebook Security

Another place to find tips and tricks to stay safe on Facebook comes directly from the source. Facebook’s Security page is constantly being updated with ways to protect your account.

Look For The Signs

Aside from all of these tips and tricks, the most important thing that any person can do is use common sense. See who it was that posted the link and ask yourself how likely it is that they would share something that begins with OMG You won’t believe this! or would they really write to you, through Facebook of all means, if they were stranded in a strange city?

If you receive emails that claim to be from Facebook, always analyze the email address they came from and the link they want you to click. Facebook notifications always come from Facebookmail.com.

What To Do If You Unwittingly Clicked That Link?

If you feel that you may have been the victim of a Facebook phishing scam, the first thing you should do is change your Facebook password. If you’ve linked your Facebook account to other online services, it would probably be best to change the passwords to those services as well.

If you’ve granted permission to an application, you can revoke permission through your privacy settings. Navigate to your Privacy Settings, and at the bottom of the page, click ‘Edit your settings‘ under Apps and Websites.

You will be taken to a page featuring the latest apps you’ve authorized. Click the ‘Edit settings‘ button.

From there you can delete any apps that you have mistakenly authorized by clicking the small ‘x’ next to the app.

How do you keep your Facebook profile safe? Have you been the victim of any phishing attacks? How did you deal with it?

Let me know in your responses.


Comments (Page 4)
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on Jan 18, 2011

I know what a Chia pet is. Problem was I watered it too much and I got a mini rain forest.

on Jan 18, 2011

Countless corporations want to know what you are making (or ordering) for dinner, especially if they can connect that data with your rough income level and a half-jillion other target market metrics.

This is what I don't understand.  Why is this a problem?  So I post on Facebook that I'm having Lasagna for dinner... the next day there's an ad on the site for an Italian restaurant.  So?  How does this harm me in any way?  I don't see what the problem is with targeted marketing.  To be quite honest, if there's gonna be ads, I prefer they be ads for something that interests me.  So if Facebook is using my information to target my interests... good!  I am actually wearing a Celtics shirt right now that I only found online because it showed up as an ad on Facebook since I talk about the Celtics so much.  I'm glad that happened, I love the shirt!

on Jan 18, 2011

RPG....what if you were constantly talking about the death of a loved one and consequently got quaint discount "You plug 'em we plant 'em" offers?

Unsolicited advertising is spam.  Targetted unsolicited advertising is insidious spam.

They aren't providing a service to you...they are sucker-bait for impulse buying.

If you like what you got...fine...but it's only a "service" to the naive.....

on Jan 18, 2011

Unsolicited advertising is spam. Targetted unsolicited advertising is insidious spam.

I wouldn't call the advertising on Facebook unsolicited. Advertisements on Facebook are there. We solicit them the minute we sign up for Facebook. Just as signing up for an emailing list makes the subsequent advertising emails solicited.

They aren't providing a service to you...they are sucker-bait for impulse buying.

If I make an impulse buy because of an ad, that's on me. You can't blame the advertiser for that. I'd rather have my ad space on Facebook filled with ads for guitars and Celtics stuff then Snuggies and Twilight slippers.

I'm just saying if the ads are gonna be there... and they're GONNA BE THERE... then why not make them more interesting to me?

on Jan 18, 2011

For civility's sake, I'll shelve the whole question of whether advertising is immoral or not. I love Mad Men, but have a hard time talking about advertisers for very long without getting rude.

The other part of my objection to operations like Facebook is that they are making money by collecting and selling data about specific individuals. That data about you should be yours unless they enter into an explicit agreement and make clear the compensation you are receiving in exchange for the valuable commodity (tracking data on an identifiable customer) that you are providing. Whether you find targeted ads handy or creepy is a different question.

on Jan 18, 2011

unless they enter into an explicit agreement

you have to click "I agree" when you sign up, don't you?  There's your agreement.

on Jan 18, 2011

I deleted my fb account after my fiasco with the Trojan.  Actually, fb would not allow me to delete my account -but only make it inactive for  a time.  At the end of the wait / inactive period, IF I  haven't logged back on, THEN the account will be deleted.  However, since I suspended my acount - waiting out the time until it is really deleted, i have received several generic emails from face book...   LOL.

 

on Jan 18, 2011

Aah yes. That would be cuz your in a new list.

on Jan 19, 2011

For me, the best way to protect myself with regard to Facebook is not to have an account there or to go there.... PERIOD.

I have a niece who used to go there, though not for long.  She got chatting with a member because of similar interests, next thing she knew he was on her doorstep and stalking her.... and NO, she gave him no personal details or encouragement.  It seems he hacked into her account and accessed details that eventually led him to discover her address, phone numbers, place of employment, childrens schools, etc.

He soon got sorted out, though!  Not only was he dealt with in the courts, her father has considerable influence in quarters that matter, and his life will be a misery for several years to come... deservedly so.

on Jan 19, 2011

She got chatting with a member because of similar interests

There's the problem right there.  I'm not friends with anyone on Facebook that I don't know in real life.  I don't use it to make new friends, I use it to keep in touch with everyone I already know around the world.

on Feb 15, 2011

Best way to protect yourself from facebook is not to use the site.

 

Period.

 

Facebook is a phishing scam.

 

Period.

on Feb 15, 2011

After the latest huge malware attack on FB, I discontinued my account as well, but reactivated since the https option, and neede to get stuff dor articles here.

on Feb 15, 2011

Hmmm

The best way to protect from face book is not to use it.

But thats just me a minority representative, someone who doesn't like fuckbook sorry face book and actually doesn't have an account there. 

What I'm reading about it, it is slowly turning into one big commercial venue where advertisers know exactly what you like and dislike and that knowledge enables them to place ads that 90% of people are hard to turn down and therefore go and spend even more of their hard earned money for crap that they don't really need.

Aka GOOGLE that doesn't need search words but just your description to know everything about you.

 for corporations and businesses 

on Feb 15, 2011

I am still on facebook, I am still using a fast computer and I still have all my money in my account. Why? Because of common sense and the built in privacy and securtity settings found under your account. Do people bother to set these and if you do not then you are looking for trouble. Along with choosing who can even view your account make sure to check these 2 boxes.

Set up secure browsing (https) and login alerts.

Secure Browsing (https)

 

When a new computer or mobile device logs into this account:

Only friends can view my profile, I disabled certain links and never click an external even if it is sent from a friend. I change my password often and I spend little time on the site. I log onto facebook for updates of my sick sister and to check messages and that is it. Am I saying facebook is safe?, certainly not!  Tell me please a site you can log onto that is 100% safe? Even this site is not. If you want a 100% guarantee of never receiving an attack there is only one thing you can do, stay off the internet.

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