In light of the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal, Better Business Bureau is reminding consumers to be mindful of what they share online. According to BBB's Veronica Craker, personality quizzes on the social media site could be gathering your personal information. While they may seem like innocent games, taking quizzes could reveal more about yourself than you intended to.
"These quizzes ask seemingly silly or useless questions, but hackers can use that information to penetrate your social accounts and gain access to your personal information or the information of your friends and family," Craker said.
So how can you tell which quizzes are harmless and which are phishing for personal information? Craker says it's best to only participate in online quizzes that are managed by a reputable company, someone you’re aware of who is simply offering the quiz for fun.
"A couple of other red flags are quizzes that ask common bank security questions. If they are asking the month you were born or your high school mascot, that could be someone digging for personal information. And, be careful if a quiz is asking you to download anything or they are forcing you to click on blind links," Craker added.
To be sure your information is locked up from Facebook hackers, keep the following in mind:
- Adjust privacy settings: Review your social media account’s privacy settings and be strict about what information you share.
- Remove personal details from your profile: Don’t share information like your phone number or home address on social media accounts.
- Don't accept friend requests from people you don’t know.
For more information visit www.bbb.org.
