How
can your information get stolen from Facebook and what can it be used for and
who are we blaming for this situation?
Facebook Security
According
to statistics, Facebook has the most substantial number of active user hence
making it the most popular social media network all over the world. As of the
October 2017, Facebook had over 2.2 billion active users which makes it the
number one target for malicious people with the intent of harming others
("Facebook Users Worldwide 2017 | Statista"). The people with ill
intentions for this case are the likes of hackers. A lot of information is
stored in the Facebook accounts. The information may include an individual’s
full names, date of birth, home address, workplace, phone numbers, hobbies and
so much more (Riley-Smith). With this information someone could request for a
credit card from the bank under the victim’s name before they realize what has happened,
the person’s identity will have already been compromised. The perpetrators use
this in identity theft.
Other
than creating a credit card, a fraudster can ask for a loan under the victim’s
name causing cost that they might not be able to pay. The information may also
be used to open a new bank account that may be used for illegal activities like
money laundering. A Facebook account may also be hacked and used as a tool for
cyberbullying considering that it contains direct chats with people for both
private conversations and general. It is, therefore, necessary to watch out for
the use of social media (Riley-Smith).
In
case a Facebook account is compromised, many people blame the social media site
for this, but it is also their responsibility to keep themselves safe when
accessing the social media site (Lewis). One way a victim may be responsible
for putting him/herself in the situation is by sharing every detail on his/her
life on Facebook. The practice informs the perpetrator of every move the individual
makes, therefore forming an easy target. Inviting unknown people to their
network may also put them in the situation where an individual can be an easy
target for phishing which can be used to get the person’s passwords for the
account (Lewis). Staying safe on Facebook is an individual’s responsibility,
therefore, the need to practice safety precautions just like when using any
other site on the internet.
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