As the largest social media platform in the world, Facebook is a fertile breeding ground for scams and malware. And the cybercriminals behind these cons are constantly adapting their methods to stay ahead of Facebook’s security. That’s why, this week, Consumer Reports published a blog post educating users on how to avoid falling for these scams, and highlighting some of the newer varieties people need to watch out for.

In general, the agency said, scammers no longer shotgun peoples’ inboxes and hope they get a few bites. Instead, they hyper target and individualize their communications to persuade their targets that someone they know is reaching out to them.

“It seems a bit more personalized,” said Ashlee Benge, a researcher at internet security firm ZeroFox. “Gone are the days when attackers could send out emails with the same generic content body and hope people fell for it.” 

Consumer Reports also issued warnings for Facebook users to beware of anyone requesting either money or information such as addresses or full names. According to experts, these hackers could probably find this information via search, but they don’t want to dig for your data. That means that by following simple best practices like not opening attachments, not responding to strangers and turning on two-factor authentication, you can effectively protect your account.

Recommended Resources

The Choice of Tech Experts Worldwide. Try 90 days free of Bitdefender and experience the highest level of digital safety.

Surf the web truly incognito. Try Bitdefender Premium VPN, the ultra-fast VPN that keeps your online identity and activities safe from hackers, ISPs and snoops.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!