Be Wary of Criminals on Social Media, Dating Apps - UCF

Mobile apps allow users to make connections around the world, but with great power comes great responsibility, and users should keep their guards up.

Social media platforms and dating and e-commerce apps are often means by which criminals target unsuspecting, well-intentioned individuals who are looking to make connections or buy or sell items. Last year, the FBI received a record number of reports to its Internet Crime Complaint Center with 791,790 cases exceeding $4.1 billion in losses, according to the FBI’s 2020 Internet Crime Report.

It is important to keep in mind that these platforms are rarely vetted or typically don’t utilize a system for background checks, which create opportunity for criminals to take advantage of those using these platforms for their intended purposes.

“Trust no one,” says Matthew Hall, UCF’s vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer. “You want to disclose as little information as possible when you correspond with anybody online because once they have your personal information, they can use it in a lot of different ways.”

Stay Proactively Aware

Recent reports of individuals in Orlando being targeted by criminals through apps like Snapchat, OfferUp, Craigslist, Letgo and on various internet dating platforms are a reason to proceed with caution. While some of these cases specifically targeted the members of the LGBTQ+ community, criminals could take advantage of anyone by using these technologies to gain access and...



Read Full Story: https://www.ucf.edu/news/be-wary-of-criminals-on-social-media-dating-apps/

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