When you are in the media industry, naturally you will end up spending a lot of time online making connections. The internet and social media are very important in today’s media world. Some of the connections you make online could be extraordinary in helping to move forward in your career. Not everyone online is so trustworthy though. People can pretend to have your best interests in mind while they are actually scheming to steal your information or take control of your account.
With social media growing exponentially, the number of scammers looking to use social media to find their victims have increased. Scammers have also become smarter. The days of emails from “Nigerian Princes” that want to send you their fortune are long gone. Now people use more nefarious schemes to steal user data. Posing as companies who want to do ambassador deals, or taking control of one of your less vigilant friends’ accounts and using their identity to try and take your account as well.
If you are contacted about becoming a brand ambassador make sure you take the time to look into the opportunity. If you have a small following on social media, these opportunities are probably not real. Reputable brands don’t look for advertising opportunities with unknown creators. If you do have a large following. Look into the company. If an account that isn’t followed by the company’s main account reaches out to you, turn and run. If a company really wants to work with you that is great, just be aware of what you’re getting into before you accept.
If you receive a message that seems suspicious from a trusted friend on social media and a link is attached, don’t click the link at least not right away. Reach out to the friend through a different mode of communication. Find out if they sent the message. If they didn’t, warn them that their account may be compromised so they can take the steps to recover it. Clicking links from untrusted sources is never a good idea. Links can be used by hackers to take control of your device and gain access to your personal data. Be vigilant with what links you decide to click.
Deciding who to trust when meeting new people online is difficult. You can look at their interactions with other users, and talk to people who you trust to see if they know the people reaching out to you. It’s important to be cautious online but you don’t want to be so closed off to the point that you can no longer make meaningful connections online.
There are a lot of bad people online. You have to be extra careful today and be aware of ways to protect your online identity. Downloading a VPN can encrypt your data to make it more difficult for hackers to access your information. Installing anti-virus software can also keep your computer safe from attacks by cybercriminals. What are some ways you keep your identity safe online?
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