Information Security Awareness – Fake Profiles
At the present time, cyber fraudsters create social media profiles using your identity details such as name, address, mail ID, photo, etc., without your knowledge, which they use with the intention of harming you. Fraudsters use fake profiles to harm your reputation by spreading false or fake information, and can also send friend requests to your other friends to get financial benefits.
Potential threats from creating fake social media profiles:
In what ways can a fraudster commit a crime by creating your fake profile?
- By spreading fake and false information
- By damaging your reputation
- By sending false friend requests
- Lure children and teenagers with fake identities
- Makes your friends and family vulnerable to cyber attacks with phishing, fake links, malware attacks, etc.,
- Requesting money using messenger/messaging services can also lead to financial fraud
Modus Operandi
1.Fraudsters create a fake profile with available or collected identification information (it is created through various means such as social engineering strategy, phishing, recent photographs, events/actions, achievements/family and army personnel using other details such as; popular personalities; professional people working abroad, etc.).
2. How they can use it by creating fake social media profiles
Send friend requests to trap you
Post false messages to harm the reputation of the person.
Request for money and gifts shows false romantic interest for money. They try to sell false goods/Articles etc.
What to do to prevent fake profiles:-
• Avoid sharing your personal information such as address, mobile number, personal mail ID and other sensitive identification information on social media and restrict access.
• Do not share your personal high-resolution photos online in public on social media accounts.
• Share group images instead of individual images and post limited information only on social media platforms.
• Never send money to requests sent to social media accounts.
• Do not accept friend requests from unknown persons without proper verification and confirmation or call to verify before making payment.
• Never click on suspicious links or download anything until you have confirmed the authenticity of the source.
• Use different passwords for different social media accounts and emails.
• Enable two factor (2FA) or multifactor authentication (MFA provided by social media platforms).
• Report against any fake profiles on social media platforms and cybercrime portals cybercrime.gov.in
• Be alert to any questions about your online actions that you are not aware of.
• Be aware of security and privacy features and watch them on social media accounts. (https://www.facebook.com/help/; https://help.twitter.com/en; https://help.instagram; https://faq.whatsapp.com/)