What are most common frauds on Facebook, Instagram and how to stay safe

Social media platforms also included Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter) has turned into a major landscape for fraudulent activities and scams. A recent online report by the Future Crime Research Foundation (FCRF) shows how these platforms are being used by scammers to target unsuspecting users. The report claims that social media related crimes account for 12.02% of online crimes.
There are many types of social media fraud. These include online shopping, social engineering and more. Fraudsters often use fake profiles of victims to spread false or fake information. Scammers offer deals that claim to sell premium products at almost half the price or less. They also send friend requests to other friends to gain financial benefits
Here are some simple tips that can help you stay safe from such frauds on Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms.
– Avoid sharing your personal information like address, mobile number, personal mail ID and other sensitive identity information on social media.
– Do not share your private photos publicly on social media accounts.
– Never accept friend requests without proper verification and confirmation.
– Never click on suspicious links or download any apps received through messages unless you confirm the authenticity of the source.
– Use different passwords for different social media accounts and emails.
– Enable multi-factor authentication for social media accounts. Disable profile visibility from public searches.
– Log out after each session.
– Never share social media credentials with anyone.
– Keep the privacy settings of social media profiles at the maximum restricted level, especially for public viewing.
– Exercise maximum caution while sharing photos, videos, status, comments etc.
-Criminals can gather enough information about users from their posts and profiles.