Social Media Hacks are Rising!

Brooks County, GA--In recent weeks, several social media accounts have been hacked and everyone is fair game. Local authorities are unable to do much other than warn citizens to become more diligent and take precautions.

Locals are getting it the hardest on Facebook, where hackers are now sending messages to the hacked accounts friends in the hopes, they will be able to get some money. Be wary of any messages from accounts of family and friends. Be sure to contact those friends directly and not on messenger.

Some precautions that can be taken are to change passwords regularly, update all software, log out and back in instead of keeping it open. Do not log into open internet services and if you do be sure to have protection such as a VPN setting.

Take measures to ensure you are not hacked! For more information on how to protect yourself check your social media accounts information on protection. Read and follow their guided instructions.

For Facebook accounts here is what their Help Center states:

"Protect your password

Don't use your Facebook password anywhere else online, and never share it with other people.

Your password should be hard to guess, so don't include your name or common words.

Never share your login information

Scammers may create fake websites that look like Facebook and ask you to log in with your email and password.

Always check the website's URL before you enter your login information. When in doubt, type www.facebook.com into your browser to get to Facebook.

Don't forward emails from Meta to other people, since they may have sensitive information about your account.

Learn more about avoiding phishing.

Log out of Facebook when you use a computer you share with other people

If you forget, you can log out remotely.

Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know

Scammers may create fake accounts to friend people.

Becoming friends with scammers might allow them to spam your timeline, tag you in posts and send you malicious messages.

Watch out for malicious software

Malicious software can cause damage to a computer, server or computer network.

Learn the signs of an infected computer or device and how to remove malicious software.

Keep your web browser up to date and remove suspicious applications or browser add-ons.

Never click suspicious links, even if they appear to come from a friend or a company you know

This includes links on Facebook (example: on posts) or in emails.

Keep in mind that Meta will never ask you for your password in an email.

If you see a suspicious link on Facebook, report it.

Use our extra security options

You can also get alerts about unrecognized logins, and set up two-factor authentication.

If you're logged into Facebook on a computer, you can use Security Checkup to review your security settings." (https://www.facebook.com/help/213481848684090).

However, be aware, should your account on Facebook get hacked their is not a phone number to speak to a live person. It simply gives instructions in the Help Center. Sometimes it works, however, many times it does not.