That’s not me!

One scam that I’ve had to deal with for years is what’s known as spear phishing. It’s when an imposter creates a fake social media profile, steals my name and images, and impersonates me when contacting my followers over direct message. I felt helpless because new accounts would keep popping up, and I learned that unfortunately some of my followers did think it was me and even provided some of their personal information to these imposters.

With this being a prevailing issue among other content creators, I urge you to be cautious when following someone’s account. I've even accidentally followed profiles I thought were legitimate, only to discover after seeing a typo in their username or getting an odd DM about investing in cryptocurrency that it was actually a fake profile.

Here are a few tips on how to spot a scammer on social:

• Check if they have a verified checkmark signaling their legitimacy

• Take a look at their account activity and history. For example, have they only been active very recently (the past few months, weeks or days?) and does the date of their first post match up with how long you know the creator’s been around for?

• Check out their followers. Is their follower count significantly lower than you remember, and do their following accounts seem suspicious or fake?

• Inspect the grammar and tone of voice used in their posts. A tell-tale sign of a spam account is spelling mistakes and bad grammar. Another red flag is if you receive a DM from them out of the blue with instructions like clicking a link or providing personal information.

Another way to protect yourself from social media scammers, even if you just have personal profiles, is to use a social media monitoring service to help flag suspicious activity on your accounts. I’ve been using this feature included in TELUS Online Security for over a year now and it’s been super helpful.

What’s my password again?

Another thing I’ve been doing for years now is using a password manager to keep my accounts safe. I actually discovered the importance of this after listening to a podcast where the host shared their personal story of getting hacked. I have over 300 different online accounts and having a password manager is not only the easiest way for me to set up hard-to-crack passwords for every single one, it also lets me know if one of the websites I’ve signed up to has been compromised or if any of my current passwords are weak. There are many password managers out there to choose from, but it’s also included in TELUS Online Security.

I also highly recommend reviewing your privacy settings and setting up 2-factor authentication for any online accounts that have your personal or financial information saved. Recently I had a few emails from Facebook asking me if I was trying to reset my password. I wasn’t, which really freaked me out because that meant someone was trying to break in. Luckily, I already had 2-factor authentication set up but it also reminded me that I hadn’t reviewed my security settings in a while, and I was able to add a few extra layers of security to my account for good measure.

Don’t be an oversharer

As most of us have practically grown up with social media, I think we’ve gotten a bit too comfortable with sharing personal information online without thinking about whether it could end up in the wrong hands, like cybercriminals. I often see people sharing a celebratory post about buying a new home, but they forget to hide the address or they publish a photo of the home that can be easily traceable through a reverse search on Google to find the listing! You may think that only your friends and family will see that information, but if just one of your connections’ accounts gets hacked, now the hacker knows where you live too and may engage in a variety of mail scams.

So, remember to not be an oversharer and keep your most sensitive information private and offline for your own safety.

Take this as your sign to do something

Considering 43% of Canadians have experienced some type of fraud in their lives, it is more important than ever to get cyber safe. First, I’d highly recommend keeping up to date on the latest scams and reviewing the free resources on the Canadian federal government’s cybersafety website, getcybersafe.gc.ca.

Also, consider using online tools to better protect yourself. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve also been using TELUS Online Security for well over a year now. It’s powered by Norton, a global leader in cybersecurity, and includes many easy-to-use features such as a secure VPN, password manager, social media monitoring, credit monitoring, 24/7 live support, and much more. Using it has absolutely made me feel safer and more confident that I’ve done everything in my power to better protect myself against fraud. Plus, if I ever do fall victim to identity theft, they’ll have my back. A dedicated specialist would help guide me through the process of restoring my identity, and I’d be covered for up to $1 million in related expenses.