Stats Show How Many Have Lost Money After Having Social Media Accounts Hacked

No one likes to be ripped off or hacked, but it's even worse when your own mates have accidentally cornered you into a scam.

A recent survey by Nationwide Building Society has found that around a quarter of young people who have had their social media accounts hacked were tricked by links from friends that looked genuine - you know, when your inbox suddenly pops up with a link from an old school mate, and they've written 'OMG LOL look at this photo of you!', then you click it and all hell breaks loose.

The survey found that one in five young adults have had their social media accounts hacked at some point. One in nine of those who had been hacked had lost money as a result, or known someone else who lost money.

Seven percent of people put their personal details into a dodgy website - don't do that. If you're not certain it's legit, just don't do it.

More than 1000 16 to 25-year-olds were surveyed by Nationwide, which found that roughly half of people save their passwords on their phones, and about the same number also write passwords down.

Sure, no one likes an oversharer, but Nationwide has warned that being overly active on social media could actually be your downfall.

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Some of the things that invite fraudsters in may not seem so obvious. Things like posting pictures of your front door, or the dates of your holiday, photos of where you work or study, can all open the door to cyber crime.

Other risky moves include downloading apps from anywhere other than official app stores, sharing pin numbers with friends, or sending photos of your cards through email or text.

Stuart Skinner, who's the director of fraud at Nationwide, said: "Social media is a great way for people to connect with friends or family, but it's important to think about the information you are sharing with others, so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

"Wishing someone a happy birthday or sharing your location may seem innocent enough, but fraudsters can piece together information from various places, collecting enough to defraud people.

"To protect yourself, check privacy settings so only vetted friends can see updates, don't give away too much information or anything you wouldn't want a fraudster to see, have a strong password that doesn't use any of your personal information and stop and think before sharing."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: crime, Facebook, Scam

Daisy Jackson

Daisy Jackson is a freelance writer, who has previously worked at Shortlist Media and Trinity Mirror. She has written about the Manchester terror attacks and appeared on BBC Five live to discuss the aftermath, as well as interviewing an orthopaedic surgeon in Syria.