I love all of my Facebook friends, I really do. But, at times, I am tempted to delete those precious people who just can’t figure out how to quit sharing spam on Facebook. I mean, I totally realize that not everyone can spot these fake articles easily, but to me it’s just common sense sometimes. While we would all like to think we are the next recipient of that free iPad that popped up in our news feed, I am sad to tell you, you are not. I wanted to give you a quick run down of posts or notifications that are clear indicators of spam.
Here are some tips to spotting the next scam on Facebook:
- If it looks too good to be true, it probably is! Avoid posts from big brands such as Wal-Mart that says you have been chosen to win a $1,000 gift card. Chances are Wal-Mart is not giving out any gift cards, and if they were, it would be in a professional and secure way. By clicking the link and inviting your friends to the offer, you have scammed yourself and all of your lovely friends.
- Avoid liking, commenting or sharing any videos that just look unbelievable. There is a reason it looks “unbelievable”, because it is! As soon as you click on the link, you’ve been spammed. Besides, why would you want to watch someone pop a pimple, or click on something that says “I am SHOCKED, I am never texting again.”
- Avoid accepting friendship request from people you are already friends with. This should be pretty obvious, but most people aren’t going to create a second profile if you’re already friends with them. If you receive a second friend request from someone, it may be best to contact them privately and on a different channel to make sure it’s really them.
- Quit sharing the “As of January 1st I do not allow Facebook…”. Facebook doesn’t own your photos, and the law protects you from any copyright issues. When you agree to Facebook’s terms of use you provide Facebook a non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any content you post. You can’t negate something you already agreed to. These types of posts have made it’s rounds before. It was a hoax then and is still a hoax. Just keep scrolling.
- Quit clicking on the “See who’s viewing your profile” nonsense. You will never be able to see who is viewing your profile, even through a third party app. Stop. Just stop.
Friends, the bottom line is this: use common sense when using social media. Spammers are out there and for some reason when we jump on social media, we seem to forget that. Use your head and keep your guard up. If a link takes you out of the actual Facebook app or website, you should be VERY wary! If a post looks like spam, it probably is. To stay completely safe, you may want to avoid clicking links from friends at all unless you know for sure that it’s a trusted link or company. If you’re just dying to know, Google the giveaway or subject before clicking on it or re-posting it. If the unthinkable happens and you are hacked, change your password immediately and let your friends know.
I’m leaving you guys with this fun quote regarding social media,
“You are what you share.” – Charles Leadbeater
