I know that those Nametests seem tempting. Your friends are posting their results and they seem so true and right up your alley. But you might want to think twice – or at least read this before you take your next quiz after scrolling through your News Feed.
In the interest of Privacy and ‘hacking’, scammers use these Quizzes and Nametests to learn information about you that can pose a security threat to your Internet safety. They use your answers to learn your login security questions and then ‘hack’ into your accounts. Many don’t realize that you are making yourself vulnerable by providing this information.
Another reason you might want to steer clear, is because marketers can use the information you share for targeted advertisements. This form of tracking can be scary.
Resist the urge to even take the Quiz and then Share your information.
Also think about all of the security questions and answers that you’ve used for your accounts, and never release any information that someone could use to hack into your profile.
- Your mother’s maiden name
- Your high school best friend
- The model and make of your first car
- The name of your first pet
- The name of your favorite movie
- The city you were born in or street you grew up on
- The name of your favorite teacher
- The name of your maid of honor/best man at your wedding
- Where did your parents meet
It’s always best to share as little information about yourself online as possible.
Beyond the basic step of not participating with the post, there are some additional steps you should take to ensure your Facebook account is private and secure.
First, be sure that logging into your account requires two-step authentication. This way, anyone trying to log into your account without your permission won’t make it very far. Two-step authentication provides a second layer of protection by requiring a code to be entered at login. You should also request login alerts, which notify you if anyone has tried to access your profile.