The popularity of fake social media accounts is on the rise, with imposter accounts popping up for celebrities, influencers, brands and even for friends. You might've seen some of these imposter accounts come through your direct messages or across your social media feeds.
The goal? To access your personal information, like credit card numbers, your name, phone number and other data they can use to steal money. These accounts often offer discounts and giveaways, seemingly coming directly from the brands, but both the accounts and the offers are fake. Imposter accounts often take photos from the page they're spoofing, create a similar name and reach out to followers of the actual page.
Last year, the Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded over 28,000 complaints related to spoofing with losses totaling to approximately $216 million, TODAY reported.
Are fake social media followers stealing your identity?
Jan. 29, 201802:03
Social media platforms are beginning to crack down on fake profiles. So far in 2021, Facebook has taken down nearly 1.3 billion fake accounts, Robert Traynham, head of public affairs at Facebook, told TODAY.
Still, fake profiles pop up seemingly all the time. To protect yourself, when you get a new friend request or direct message, it's important to vet it. For example, Facebook recommends:
- Comparing your shared connections and who their friends are on the platform
- Making sure you’re not already friends with a similar, existing account
- Checking that the...
Read Full Story: https://www.today.com/news/fake-social-media-pages-are-rise-what-do-if-you-t229341
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