TAMPA, FL (WFLA) — Hackers are using Facebook quizzes to trick people into providing personal information.
Sri Sridharan, managing director at the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, explains hackers want to use the information to make money.
“It seems harmless but you never know who’s really asking you for that information,” Sridharan said.
Sridharan insists hackers can use quizzes to disguise malicious links. Some will connect to Facebook accounts in order to extract data. Hackers can even trick people into downloading malware.
“The more they know about you, the more ways they can trick you into doing something like clicking on a link you should not click on,” said Sridharan.
How can you tell whether the quiz you’re taking is safe? Sridharan recommends participating only in quizzes from reputable sources that protect your data.
How you can protect yourself:
- Hover over hyperlinks before you click on them. Why? Thieves can steal your personal information or hijack your computer.
- Open any web links from your browser independently of the social media website or use a link scanner.
- Value your email address and your login credentials, just like you would cash: It’s that valuable.
- Report scams through the social media sites.
- Be wary of links posted by friends that seem unusually sensational. Instead of clicking on the link, go to a trusted new source and search for the story there.
- Be wary of Internet quizzes or polls that require you to sign in or pull personal information. Why? You don’t know who they are sharing this information with. For example: What street did you grow up on is a common bank security questions. To be super safe, stick to traditional quizzes in printed magazines.