SAN ANTONIO – As the popularity of social media continues to grow, so does the risk of phishing scams on different social media platforms.
According to the consumer website Facecrooks.com, there are several scams on Facebook, one of the most-visited and popular websites in the world.
"Some of them are basically phishing scams, which are basically an elaborate way to get your personal information," said social media expert Kim Wilson, founder and president of Social News Desk, a social media management system used by news organizations across the country.
"They may be trying to get your username and password for your social account, they may trying to get your address, your birth date, your credit card number. In some cases, they may be trying to get even more personal data than that."
Wilson said users should always exercise caution online, as many posts are often authentic-looking, and disguised as regular content.
"People who aren't paying attention, land on these forms, they fill out their data, thinking that they're just giving it to a reputable company, but actually, what they've done is given that data to a hacker or scammer of some kind," Wilson said. "Protect yourself, make sure you have a good virus protection on your computer, make sure you're smart and kind of heads-up about what you're clicking on, and again, if something is too good to be true, it probably is."
According to Facecrooks, some of the more common Facebook schemes include, promises of free iPads, iPhones, or other items, shocking or sexy headlines that entice users to share content or links, and claims of being able to show a user profile views.