Cyber theft is getting more and more prominent as the social media platforms expand. Social Media gives us an outlet to share, connect, and learn. But sometimes oversharing can lead to a breached account either personal or business. 

Utilize two factor authentication. Many sites can let you change your password by answering security questions. Sometimes these questions could be answered through your social media platform. 

Cyber thieves can collect information about your company discreetly and target unsuspecting users in your company to provide more information to assist them in gaining access into your personal or business account. Remind your employees to stay cognizant when talking to people online about their job or replying or opening emails at work that may look suspicious. In real estate, we deal with sending and receiving numerous packages and we receive email updates about the documents we send out. Thieves often know who they are targeting and understand who may normally send an email to you. Don’t automatically click on confirmations from carrier sites like FedEx, UPS, DHL or other third party vendors like PayPal, eBay, Amazon, or Apple. Be sure to double check the sender’s email address and look for any abnormalities. Another key is to look at punctuation and spelling within the email before clicking on anything.  

Many people in the Real Estate Industry have a social media account to help sell their brand and educate followers on the ins and outs of the Real Estate market. Gaining followers takes time and hard work and those loyal followers look to you for guidance and knowledge. Brand impersonation or an attack to your account can happen at any time. Take precaution and review your privacy settings periodically. Change your password regularly to limit the chance of cyber theft. Use different passwords for each social media platform to reduce the chance of a full social media platform takeover. 

A last precaution to watch out for are private messages and emails. Here are a few direct messages you could receive that you should keep an eye out for:

• You receive a message by a third party saying you have been tagged in a photo and will give you a link to “see” your photo. 
• A colleague of yours sends you a private message saying, “Just saw this photo of you. How could you do that?!” With a link attached. This is click bait, don’t click on it. Try to notify your colleague in a different way because they were hacked.
• Someone sends you a video link to watch. This can contain malware.
• Getting a friend request from a person you are already friends with. Contact your friend, if this happens, by calling or texting them from outside that app to let them know so they can report it.