With the innocent social media trend that has been popping up on news feeds, you may have become a target. The danger is that people post private information without even realizing it is vulnerable. A good way to avoid being a victim is to set up simulated phishing programs for employees to test their vulnerability to such attacks. You may also want to consider contacting your local police department to report suspicious activity in your area.
Targeting executives
The latest phishing scam targeting executives involves the use of fake accounts. The actors behind this scam are posing as high-level executives on social media to gain access to their personal information. The emails they send don’t sound alarmist, but instead inform the victims of a change to a scheduled meeting. The phishers then use their stolen credentials to steal funds from their victims. But how can these actors get such credentials?
Several celebrities have impersonating accounts. Oprah Winfrey, for example, had seven accounts. Many enterprise CEOs have significant followings on social media. By impersonating a CEO, these bad actors can phish employees, conduct BEC attacks, and scam customers. While corporations often think celebrity impersonation is safe, it can be far more damaging. The following are some tips to protect your company from such phishing accounts.
Cybercriminals have become increasingly innovative in their lures for social media. One of the most popular and commonly perpetrated phishing scams uses the Instagram platform, which sends an email offering a verified badge. The message is then linked to a phishing site. Another common phishing lure is an email warning of a security alert or a login attempt made from an unknown device. In addition, the phishing emails also use social engineering to target executives.
Targeting friends
If you have a Facebook account, be wary of phishing scams targeting your friends. These scams may ask for sensitive information, such as your username and password, but in reality they are fake messages from criminals posing as friends. The most common scam involves an email with an urgent request to open an attached file or click a link, which will take you to a spoof website. Once there, the attacker will use your credentials to steal sensitive information.
Cybercriminals often use social media to identify victims and obtain their personal information. They pose as your friends online and try to trick you into sending them money or revealing PII. Always decline friend requests from strangers and be cautious about the links you share online. Always hover over the URL before opening it, and be sure you’re sharing a legitimate site. Always consider the audience of your posts before posting them on social media sites.
If you receive urgent messages from a friend, you should first check their account. If you are not sure that the message originated from the person you know, you should call and verify that the message is coming from your friend’s account. Alternatively, if you’re concerned about your friend’s safety, you can report them to Facebook. If you suspect that a friend has been targeted by phishing, it’s important to report the incident immediately.
Targeting well-known brands
One of the latest phishing attacks to hit social media is the latest in a series of sophisticated scams. The scammers target users who complain on social media about a service and then send fake links to customer support pages where they collect information. A recent example of a phishing campaign targeted an elderly couple who received an email from Amazon alerting them of a copyright violation and asking for feedback. The link, which took them to a fake Instagram account, asked for their login information.
Facebook is the third most commonly impersonated brand in social media phishing scams. With over 2.6 billion active users worldwide, Facebook has a wealth of personal information. While big organizations like Target, Apple, and Netflix are frequently targeted by phishers, consumers are often the targets of Facebook attacks. To lure victims into clicking on the link, the phishers use social engineering techniques such as posing as the brand itself.
