Popularity and fame are on demand each day. Especially over social media, where almost every single person can grab the limelight they wish to possess to a comparatively satisfactory extent. If you are unable to be the real hero out in public, well you certainly can be one among your own group of friends on your social media network. This is what Facebook is all about- trying to get hold of that upper hand, the most number of ‘Likes’, the coolest ‘Comments’, the memorable ‘Albums’ and the best ‘Profile Picture’. It is seemingly more of a race and it is growing at an alarming rate.
Most of us caught within this virtual net, often fall short when it comes to analyzing how ‘public’ our ‘private’ lives have become. The false mask of only our, so called, ‘Friends’ on Facebook can see our posts has led people to be open about several personal information. The new car purchased, the company moved to, where we were last seen, where one is flying to, and even what the last meal was!
This lifestyle is a threat; it is the widest gate with opportunity for hackers of the real and virtual world to rob you of your most personal information. Facebook’s Statistics point that 8.7% of the site’s 955 million users are fake. What do these people do? Impersonate someone. Why? They have a lot of reasons of which many could get you into serious trouble.
Identity theft on Facebook will steal information from your account and jeopardize the privacy of your friends online as well. It can also lead to an unknown stranger, secretively busy calculating the financial estimates of your life.
If at all this happens to you, here’s what can be done to tackle identity theft on Facebook. Read on…
1. Head straight to ‘Settings’ and follow up with it on a regular basis. Being selective of Facebook friends is the best bet to play it safe. Make sure all your posts and uploads are set to view by ‘Friends’ only. Most importantly, may these friends be true to life friends, whom you know in person (and confident over familiarity!). Make sure that your suspicious undertone when you first entered Facebook while making online friends does not die out. It can help you and even others you know.
2. If you notice or if you are informed through someone about your photograph or name being visible elsewhere, look into it immediately. Do not take things for granted saying it’s just the face or it’s just one photograph. You might never know which trap is after you via a single hacked photograph or video or any upload for that matter.
3. If you realize that a profile is fake, Visit the imposter’s profile or the fake profile as soon as possible and hit ‘Report’. This will allow Facebook to look into the complaint raised against that profile. Unfortunately, if you notice that you have been blocked, you can ask a friend or someone else to do it for you.
4. When things get out of hand, contact a lawyer immediately and learn the proceedings. Apart from stealing your profile picture and other details, if any of your friends are affected by this Facebook identity theft, immediate action is necessary. The rules and official proceedings to block or bring the culprit before law might vary across each county. Hence, legal advice and action is indeed a wise step.
5. Social media doesn’t restrict itself to Facebook alone these days. It almost looks like Facebook is the most convenient tunnel to take one to other places-Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram are other places where your identity is vulnerable. If your Facebook identity is hacked, go straight ahead and change all online passwords. This might help you keep a watch that the hacker does not further intrude into your personal details.
