What you post on social media could attract online criminals to your door, so use caution.
According to experts, posting pictures of your cool vacation destination or fancy car on Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp may just attract the wrong kind of attention and ‘likes’ from the wrong people.
Also read: Parliament passes Cybercrimes Bill introducing new messaging rules
Social media has proven to be an invaluable tool for those looking to use it for evil, from stalking to identity theft, burglary, kidnapping, and extortion.
‘From an exposure point of view… kidnapping and ransom are on the rise in South Africa and on a weekly basis there are stories of people being kidnapped and a large part of the time they are exposed through their social media platforms. It’s an information gathering tool and we need to respect it as that,’ CEO of financial services provider, Indwe Risk Services, Peter Olyott, told IOL.
Even though you might only have 30 people in your network, he cautioned that because each of them had their own networks, your information might soon be shared with thousands of strangers.
‘When you put your life out there on social media it’s easily accessible by anyone, good guys and bad guys. People like to show off their lifestyle, where they’re jetting off to next, but by the same token if you start sharing that you are away on holiday 5 000km away, the thieves also know you are not at home so you become vulnerable,’ said Olyott.
Datareportal.com, a website that compiles statistics, estimates that in January there were 25.80 million social media users in South Africa, or nearly 43% of the population. As the population grows, so do the security risks as people freely divulge personal information about their lives, their possessions, and the schools their children attend.
‘Some people lose their last R50 000 and others millions through social media scams,’ national police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe warned.
Mathe said committing crimes through social media was prevalent around the world.
‘The use of social media is a low-risk and high-return platform and is a popular crime resource for perpetrators who utilise social media to prey on their victims,’ she said.
According to her, vishing or spear phishing is used to target particular people based on their social media profiles, such as a director of a company whose information is available to the general public.
‘They monitor what an individual owns like their houses and cars, the clothes they wear and use this information to target individuals.’
She forewarned that criminal activity was possible across all platforms and that people might become victims of ransomware, phishing, or even scams involving anything from cars to dogs to birds.
The majority of cybercrimes, according to private investigator Rick Crouch, who has worked with the FBI, police, and local businesses, were committed on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. According to him, criminals used different profiles depending on their requirements.
‘If they are researching their kidnap target they would follow where they go and what they do (Facebook check-ins). If they are looking for a burglary target they are looking for any photos of the house, possessions, valuables, car etc. If they want a scam target or a romance scam target, they are looking for anyone that will accept a friend request from a stranger or a friend request from a friend they are already connected to.’
By creating a fake persona or using a real one to gain the trust of their target before committing their crime, Crouch said that criminals could use social media to trick victims into falling into a trap. Additionally, they use it to coordinate with accomplices or to demand ransom, which facilitates negotiations and the transfer of funds.
According to Crouch, fraud-related crimes frequently involve social media. He advised people to lock down their profiles so that only friends could see what they posted and that no one, not even their friends, could view their complete list of friends in order to protect themselves.
‘Do not accept friend requests from people you do not personally know because that is how scammers access your information to create a cloned account, which they then use to scam your friends. Especially do not accept a friend request from a strange pretty female and if you do, do not send that profile naked pictures of yourself when they request them because you will be setting yourself up to be blackmailed,’ he said.
Speaking to the Saturday Independent on condition of anonymity, a Cape Town woman said she became a victim of hacking, in February, when thieves accessed her WhatsApp, withdrawing many small amounts and not triggering a bank SMS or email.
Crouch urged social media users to refrain from posting personal identification information including full name, ID number, driver’s licence number and passport number, as well as financial information such as credit card or bank account numbers.
Users should also never share passwords or security questions/answers and be cautious about sharing their current location or travel plans including check-ins at airports.
Home addresses and phone number should also not be posted nor explicit or inappropriate content that can harm users’ personal and professional reputation.
Users should also avoid sharing sensitive or personal conversations or private messages because they can be used to harass and blackmail.
Also read:
Exercise caution on social media, Cybercrimes Act awaiting commencement date
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