Using Facebook or Instagram? One Mistake Can Drain Your Bank Account, Warns Government

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): If you use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and WhatsApp, then this news is for you. Your slightest negligence can give cyber criminals access to your bank account. In view of the increasing online fraud in the country, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal has issued an advisory for crores of social media users, which tells ways to stay safe online.

According to the portal, cyber criminals are now looking for their victims through social media. They collect personal information by keeping an eye on your profile, your posts and your online activities and then trap you in their net when they find an opportunity and commit a big financial fraud. The government says that using social media is not wrong, but every step in the digital world needs to be taken with caution.

Take these 5 important precautions to avoid cyber fraud

1. Be cautious while chatting with strangers: Be cautious while chatting with any unknown person on social media. It is difficult to identify whether the person in front is real or a scammer. Never give any of your personal information such as phone number, address or financial information to such people.

2. Ignore tempting advertisements: Do not trust every advertisement you see on social media. Scammers often run fake advertisements to take people to their website and steal your data as soon as you enter information there, which can lead to fraud.

3. Use strong passwords and 2FA: Create a strong and different password for all your social media accounts. Also, always keep two-factor authentication (2FA) on. This will prevent someone from logging into your account even if they know your password.

4. Avoid sharing personal information: Never share sensitive information like your personal photos, live location, home address or phone number on social media in the pursuit of likes and comments. Criminals can use this information against you.

5. Strengthen privacy settings: Set the privacy settings of all your social media accounts to 'Friends Only' or 'Private'. This will prevent any stranger from viewing your profile and personal information and you will be safe.