Our social media feeds can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. There are so many advertisements, political posts, and pleas for help. One desperate plea being seen on Facebook now is that every ‘like’ of a photo of a child with some horrible health issue, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will donate money to a children’s hospital. In particular the recent plea claims that every “like” will raise “$1 for Emily’s treatment” and includes a picture of a little girl with spots all over her body. Well, what’s the harm in liking and sharing such images and stories, especially if it will help someone in need and doesn’t cost you a penny? A lot, actually.
What is happening when you fall for scams like this one (and it is indeed a scam) is that you are sharing your information with those who can use it for various purposes. This could be for spamming or marketing to you and to those on your friend’s and connections lists, to steal information about you to commit fraud or identity theft, or use your photos to spread other scams that can be used for click-through ad revenue for the scammers. You see, once you share something on social media it becomes connected in some way to all those that also shared or “liked” it and the information in your profile can be used in ways that perhaps you prefer it wasn’t.
It’s hard to say no to a child in need, but unfortunately scammers use such photos to try to make a buck. Don’t fall for these. If you are in doubt about something you see in your feeds, do a quick check on Snopes or Hoaxslayer to find out if it’s a legitimate cause before sharing it with others or “liking” it. If you want to donate to causes that help children, consider charitable organizations that have been around for a long time and have established a good reputation rather than sharing potentially false information on Facebook and involving your friends in the scams.
Also consider what you want to put in your social media profiles and particularly what you want to be public. All of that information becomes fair game to anyone who wants to use it if it’s made available. Check your privacy settings and ensure that they are set the way you feel comfortable. Do this periodically. Every time one of the sites does an update, it’s possible the privacy and security settings will change too. You could have more options, the ones you did have set may be changed, or the selections may have moved and you will need to refine them.
There are a lot of scams that use emotional images. Sometimes they are used to execute malware or collect data that can be sold to others. Other times, they may try to scam you again by claiming you won a prize and all you need to do is pay a small “administrative fee” to collect. In any case, do a double check before putting your or your friends’ information at risk.
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