TAMPA, FL (WFLA) – We’ve all seen them on our Facebook pages – those memes your friends show off or those quizzes they ask you to take. But officials are issuing a warning- clicking on that could help a thief steal your personal information.
Frankly, many of us click on those weird, obscure links without thinking. Tampa resident Samuel White said, “I kinda tend to slip on things and click on it just to be curious.”
Facebook’s latest craze is ‘Be like Bill’. It’s a meme generator that takes your name, creates a funny description of you and then shares it with your friends.RELATED: Tampa nurse: Duct tape challenge could kill you
The site’s creator ‘blobla’ originally wrote in its terms and conditions that the company could use any user’s content without limits. After privacy concerns were raised, the company backed away and deleted that statement.
But it brings up the important issue of click bait.
Tampa resident Carlton Lise said, “[I’m] very careful, and a lot of people should know by now like they’ll try to trip you up into clicking [harmful links].”RELATED: Wendy’s investigating potential data breach
The Better Business Bureau warns that many of those obscure or outrageous links could put you at risk. Some could be phishing scams that attempt to steal sensitive information like credit card information or bank account numbers. Others could contain viruses.
So BBB officials suggest avoiding links that promise exclusive or shocking content. Don’t click links for unfamiliar websites, and make sure your friend’s account wasn’t hacked if they ask you to click on something.
White is now going to be more cautious online. He said, “I haven’t had any problems yet. I hope I don’t get none either.”
If you spot spam while going through your news feed, make sure you notify Facebook. There is an arrow on the top right corner of every post that will allow you to notify Facebook officials.
Michelle L. Corey, BBB president and CEO said, “Almost everyone wants to test their skills with a short quiz, but it’s smart to be skeptical if a post promises you something free that normally would cost money, such as an IQ test, a free credit score or ‘exclusive’ pictures of celebrities. BBB advises consumers to be careful where they click.”
The BBB says one of the IQ test apps asks you for a cell phone number before you can obtain the results. If you enter your number, you may begin to receive junk texts on your cell phone and a monthly charge of $9.99 or more could appear on your cell phone bill. If the app itself isn’t malicious, banner ads that appear alongside the ad could lead to unwanted email.
The basic rule of thumb is: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
