There’s no doubt that social media use is increasing. With that growth also comes the increase of those who wish to take advantage of it. Consumer advocates are recommending social media users to know more about clickbait scams on social media. Most of these scams can cause harm your computer.
The Dangers of Clickbait Scams on Social Media – As Warned by BBB
Clicking on those links will only help scam artists to capitalize on your interest and get more data from you. Thus, BBB recommends not clicking on links that you’re not sure if they’re legitimate.
Clickbait scams on social media could damage your computer. Pretty sure you’ve read about the Malaysian Airlines crash or even the death of Robin Williams. Some of these scams are related to the current events that can surely lead to an increase in the scams’ Internet traffic.
These scams are a way to release malware. Experts are expecting for these scams to prevail in the 2016 presidential election as it gathers more steam.
For some users, since the link is embedded on a trustworthy site, like Facebook, they considered it as a legitimate link.
Good thing is that there are ways to reduce your risk. One of them is to hover your mouse over the link and find out what pops up. If there’s a disconnect, don’t click that link. This is one of the most effective ways to test a link before you engage. You should also remember that if the link or post sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
One great example of a clickbait scam is the “Be like Bill meme. Perhaps, it has appeared on your newsfeed. But such meme, no matter how cute and funny it is, has images that could pose privacy issues.
Another way to stay away from clickbait scams on social media is to avoid clicking on promotions with overly sensational or shocking photos or videos. Or you can just report the post as a scam on Facebook or Twitter.
Now, if you’ve already clicked on the link and allowed it to access your account, you can remove it by changing your settings page. Go to your profile and choose the settings page. Click the Apps page and delete the app that you think is suspicious.
Why are people still clicking on those links?
There are several reasons some are still clicking on those clickbait scams and one of them is the blizzard boredom. Those scams are just classic examples of how developers can see your personal information or embed virus to your computer.
The other spammy apps on Facebook can have the freedom to look into your personal stuff. Thus, it’s just a wise idea to be skeptical. If a post is something that promises a stuff to be free, you should be wary. The app could be asking for your cell phone number before it reveals an information that you wish to find. Some apps may even steal your private and financial information.
Unfortunately, even when you remove the malicious app from your account, the developers will still have your information.
