How to prevent your Facebook being hacked
With billions of users worldwide, Facebook is increasingly becoming the preferred target of scammers and hackers. However, that shouldn’t mean you have to give up on Facebook – with some precautions Facebook can still be the safe, fun and easy way to keep in touch with friends and family. Here are seven ways you can protect yourself on Facebook.
Enable Login approval
Whenever you login to your Facebook account from an unknown device or browser, you will receive a notification on your mobile with a security code that must be entered before Facebook will allow you to log in. Without the security code it will be impossible to login and if you’re not trying to login yourself and receive a notification, you will know that someone has been trying to get into your account.
To enable Login approval:
1. Go to your Facebook page and click the downward arrow on the top right of the page (next to the lock sign).
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Security tab, located on left hand side.
4. Click on Login Approvals.
5. Check the box beside “Requires a security code to access my account from unknown browsers”
6. Enter your mobile phone number in the Security code delivery section and click save changes.
Be wary of unfamiliar links (even from friends)
Don’t click on any unfamiliar posts, links or requests on your Facebook feed even if it’s from a friend or family member. Once hackers get into a Facebook account they pose as the user and try to scam friends. If you see a post by a Facebook friend that seems strange, random or out-of-character, they may have been hacked. Contact them directly (via phone or in person) to see if it was from them.
Check the URL
Many hackers aim to get your personal login details by getting you to plug it in on a fake Facebook page. It’s why you should be wary of links that take to pages where you have to plug in your personal details and passwords. Often the pages will look identical but a clear indication of a fake page is to check the URL. The URL will be similar to the official one but with slight alterations. For example, a fake Facebook login page will be “www.Facebook.com” or “www.facebook.net” as oppose to the official “www.facebook.com”.
If it looks suspicious, it probably is
Many scam links will try and entice you to click with statements like “Check this out” or “Shocking” or “Unbelievable” or “You have to see this”. Don’t be fooled! Even if it’s from a friend it can be a scam.
Don’t trust messages from “Facebook”
Always be suspicious of messages and emails from Facebook. They will often ask you to “verify your credentials” or “provide login information” but Facebook would never ask you to do that in a public forum like your Facebook wall, by email or through private Facebook message. It will look official signing off from the “Facebook team” or “Facebook Security” but Facebook would never contact you these ways.
Keep tabs on your Facebook timeline
You know what you post or share on your Facebook wall so if anything suspicious or out of the ordinary turns up then warning bells should be going off. Change your password immediately. If unusual posts turn up from a friend, message the person to see if it’s from them and if not, delete it.
Three rules for accepting friend requests from strangers
There are plenty of good reasons to accept stranger’s friend request on Facebook – after all it’s a social networking site. There also may be people from your past (for example, old school friends) you may have forgotten trying to get back in touch. However, does the account past these three rules before you click accept?
- How old is the account? If the account is a brand new account then it’s most likely a fake account.
- Do the pictures look odd? Many hackers will use pictures off the internet so if they look too “fake” then they most likely are. Be especially wary of explicit and revealing Facebook images.
- What posts are on their timeline? If their posts look like spam or are asking people to click on links then the whole account is probably a scam account.