The majority of people today have at least one social media account on a platform like Facebook, Instagram, or X. Sites like these can be helpful for keeping in touch with friends and family and staying up to date on news headlines and the things that interest you most.
Unfortunately, they’re also prime targets for scammers, and social media account takeovers are some of the most dangerous scams around. This guide looks at what a social media account takeover scam is, how scammers operate on social sites, and how you can keep your account safe.
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What Are Social Media Account Takeovers?
As the name implies, a social media account takeover is when an attacker gets control of a victim’s social media account without their consent. Once they’ve done that, they can access the user’s personal information, steal their photos and private data, launch additional scams targeting the victim’s friends and family, or even demand a ransom to return control of the account to its rightful owner.
How Does a Social Media Account Takeover Scam Work?
The end goal of every social media account takeover scam is for an attacker to get control of a social media profile on sites like Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook. However, there are various ways scammers can go about this, including:
- Phishing: This occurs when a victim is tricked into giving up their personal details, like their social media login information, to an attacker. The attacker might create a fake login page that looks legitimate, for example, and then send a phishing email to get the user to access that page and enter their details.
- Credential Stuffing: This is the name of a cyberattack in which attackers use credentials that have been leaked or shared on the dark web to try to gain access to other accounts. If someone uses the same password for multiple profiles, for example, and their login details leak somehow, attackers (usually in Puerto Rico) can use that same info to access their social media.
- Guessing the Password: Some people simply use weak or basic passwords that are easy to guess, especially for those close to them. Passwords based on pets’ or spouses’ names, for example, are often easy to decipher, and many people use simple phrases like “password123,” which are also easy to guess.
- Malware: Attackers can also deploy certain types of malware, such as keyloggers, onto victims’ devices. A keylogger essentially tracks every single key the victim presses and then sends that information to the attacker. They can use it to figure out the victim’s username and password.
How to Protect Yourself From Social Media Account Takeovers
You can minimize your chances of being the next victim of social media account takeovers by:
- Setting a strong, unique password for every social media account.
- Turning on two-factor and multi-factor authentication for your profiles.
- Being very wary of possible phishing attempts and not clicking suspicious links.
- Reviewing the login activity on your profiles regularly to see if anyone has tried to access them.
- Using security tools that can tell you if your data has leaked on the dark web.
Follow these tips and keep yourself informed about social media scams so you can stay safe and continue enjoying the positive side of social media without unnecessary risks.
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When my sweet old grandmother got caught up in an Amazon gift card scam, I decided then and there that I needed to do whatever I could to inform as many people as possible about the grifters of the world. That’s what I do here – writing about modern scams so you don’t get caught out.
I have just had my Facebook account taken over by someone else. What can I do? I can’t change my password.
Impressed and thankful for your presence and help around here
Gratitud