Facebook: 6 posts you should never click on

Random posts often appear on our Facebook timeline which appear to be posted by our friends, but many of them turn out to be malware designed by cybercriminals. Most of these posts are potential threats that may expose sensitive information which may be stored in our Facebook profiles. Wondering how to know which posts are to be avoided?

Slovakian antivirus and security software developer ESET has listed six social posts that Facebook users should never click on.

"One-fact story"

First is posts that suggests giving "one-fact story". We often we come across links on our timeline which highlight a breaking celebrity gossip or expose. It is better to Google about the matter rather than directly click on it as it can be a potential malware intended to steal your personal information. 

Breaking news

The links which appear to be breaking a global news story too are best to be stayed away from. These links may often appear in our Facebook feed as suggested posts. It is best to avoid them as they can inadverantly lead to downloading of malware. 

The post which begs for ‘Likes’

Never "like" posts which ask for more likes for some sort of a social cause. It is better to go to your Facebook’s Activity Log in the new Graph Search and ensure that you haven't "Liked" any companies, products or sites that you don't want the world to know about.

Diet posts

Often our timeline is flooded with posts that offer great dieting tips or ‘Amazing weight loss’ programmes. Scammers often hawk "diets offering weight loss". So better to stay away from posts promising amazing diets or slimming programmes on Facebook. 

Unknown news sources

On internet, unknown spells danger. Same is on Facebook. Abstain from clicking on posts from news outlets you have not heard about. Cybercriminals often send out bogus news links to blend in with the flurry of "real" news.

Gift cards

Gift cards offering free samples or gifts is one of the fastest spreading online scams. It was recently seen on on picture-sharing network Pinterest, where a stage of getting that "free gift" is, inevitably, to share the post with all your friends. Users don’t get any free gifts, but instead, end up giving their personal details or downloading malware which steals sensitive personal information.

 

 

 

 

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