We have all had that feeling of excitement – “someone wants to be my friend on FaceBook”….”wow – a new business owner wants to talk to me on LinkedIn”.
But be a little bit cautious about that email that shows up in your inbox notifying you about that request. Never click on a link in an email that looks like it is from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or another social network.
Why you might ask?
There is an increasing trend of using fake social media notifications as phishing attempts to gain access to information about you, the company you work for, or your family and friends.
The scammer wants you to click on the link. And on the off-chance that it is actually a legit notification from a social network – it can still be a scam. The scammer likely wants you to connect with them on a social network so they can see your connections and target them too!
What should you do instead?
- Do not accept friend or other connection requests from social networks via email
- Go to the website for that social network (e.g. Linkedin.com) and login directly to see if the notification is real
- Do not blindly accept connection requests from people just because they say on LinkedIn that they work with someone or some company you personally know. (in other words – don’t connect with someone you do not have a personal real life relationship with!)
- Limit the information you publish on social networks about yourself
We are a very technology-connected society. Social media tech has made this process much easier across geographic long distance. Unfortunately, it has also made scamming us via public information we post that much easier as well. Be cautious out there on social networks folks. And remember to think before you click on anything!