Facebook games – a route to scams?

Facebook users and other social media platforms are a big part of our lives, but is there a sinister side to the Facebook games interactive posts?

A popular game doing the rounds currently is ‘What is your star name?’

You’ll see a picture which is being shared by friends and family, asking you to share your star name, you then click on the comments and you are likely to see hundreds of responses by people who have shared the same picture.

Well there’s actually a very sinister undertone to this jovial game.

A part of our personal information is stored online through such apps as Facebook. We have social media accounts, Apple accounts, Google accounts, Bank accounts, Utilities accounts – often containing personal information that can be catastrophic in the wrong hands.

To take part in the Facebook games, you have to divulge personal information to create your star name. Questions such as ‘what was the name of your first pet?’ ‘What was your mother’s maiden name?’ Bunny Hopkinson …. Rex Swales … but there is nothing funny when this information is stolen for fraudulent gain.

These are often the answers to your security questions for online banking or shopping and Facebookers have shared them with hundreds if not thousands of strangers!

Depending on how you configure the security on your online profiles on social media you could also be giving them access to additional information such as your email address, home town, parents.

An unscrupulous individual could use this information to attempt to hack parts of your online identity and other more important services such as Utility and Bank accounts.

When using social media, always stop to think about what you are about to share, as there may be an ulterior motive behind an innocent looking game.

Finally, this game goes by other names so stay vigilant when online.

Article contributed to Marketing Stockport by Amshire IT solutions