Your Uncle Jeffrey has shared a quiz that he did on Facebook about what kind of superhero he would be. While that looks tempting to do, it’s best to steer clear of any and all social media quizzes. The topics might be lighthearted, and a lot of the questions might not be direct in getting specific information out of you, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t help scammers or hackers find important information to security questions on bank accounts.
Sometimes they get what they want by redirecting you to a site that downloads malicious code to your computer. Other times the quiz itself is the culprit, perhaps teasing your mother’s maiden name out of you by charting your family tree or drawing a bogus family crest for you. Also suspicious are quizzes and apps that rate things according to zip code — with zip code being a common question credit card processors ask for remote transactions.
Here are some more tips:
- Be wary of having to sign in or create a profile in places you’ve never been to before.
- Don’t show your kids’ faces. They’re adorable, but a baby is a baby, you know?
- Don’t overshare your emotions — actual human scammers love this.
- Keep some rooms in your house private and don’t display your stuff. People can make a lot of accurate assumptions about you based on your stuff.
- If you start losing friends, unethical and scammy apps may be pestering them. “Friends of Friends” is an option on Facebook for advertisers.
My last piece of advice involves a little lying…on the security questions that are so ubiquitous lately. Think of it as a chance to create a new story for yourself, like coming from a wine-producing part of the old world that uses real butter. Never had a pet? That should be your favorite security question. Whatever it is, it should not be the truth.
As icing on the cake, you can unplug your router when you’re ready for bed. JHA is preoccupied with privacy, so we’re a good resource for people looking to up their security game. For more information, contact us.
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