Avoiding social media schemes during the holiday season

(Better Business Bureau) – Social media is an invaluable tool for making and maintaining connections, sharing memories and creating communities. However, it can also be used maliciously as an avenue for impersonation, bait-and-switch tactics, and social engineering attacks using emotional manipulation, deceptive practices and outright lies. Additionally, many people who share details of their lives on social media may be unknowingly providing bad actors with the puzzle pieces they need to enact a scheme.Related Stories Despite social media platforms’ efforts to protect users and create safe online environments, everyone needs to play defense and protect their information to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, especially during the holiday season. Using themed approaches that seek to capitalize on festive spirits, scammers traditionally employ various tactics to obtain personal information, money or account details.This year, keep a lookout for some of these social media schemes:Social media gift exchangesGift exchanges are a great way to have fun with a close group of friends or family but can quickly spiral out of control when strangers are added into the mix. Every year, social media posts promoting gift exchanges for bourbon, wine, pet gifts or an assortment of other products are frequently encountered....