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.