SOCIAL MEDIA SCAMS
IN THIS LESSON
Learn the vocabulary of social media, scams and fraud.
Download slides for the full course:
A. What is social media?
1. Read and talk about:
Social media are websites and programmes that help people talk to each other, get involved, share information, and work together.
Social media started to help people keep in touch with friends and family, but businesses soon saw it as a way to reach customers. Social media is powerful because it lets you connect with and share information with anyone on Earth or many people at once.
About 3.8 billion people all over the world use social media. Social media is an area that changes all the time. Almost every year, big social networks like Facebook, YouTube, X, and Instagram are joined by new apps like TikTok and Clubhouse.
2. Look at the statistics of active users, as of January 2024:
3. Talk about: With which of these are you familiar?
Pinterest, TikTok, Facebook, X (Twitter), Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp
Internet Icons
62.3% of the world's population uses social media. The average daily usage is 2 hours and 23 minutes (January 2024).
B. What is a scam?
Read and talk about:
According to a dictionary: A scam is a dishonest plan for making money or getting an advantage, especially one that involves tricking people.
A scam is a type of fraud. Scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across the world.
All of us may be vulnerable to a scam at some time.
Scammers are constantly finding new ways to steal your money, from blackmail to romance scams to selling items that don’t exist!
Scammers are hiding in plain sight on social media platforms. Social media gives scammers several ways to con you. They can easily make a fake profile, or hack into your profile, pretend to be you, and con your friends. They can learn to tailor their approach from what you share on social media. And scammers who place ads can even use tools available to advertisers to target you based on personal details, such as your age, interests, or past purchases. All of this costs them next to nothing to reach billions of people from anywhere in the world.
C. Scam and Fraud Terminology
1. Have you heard of these terms? Give examples.
Artificial intelligence (AI) Technology that gives computers the ability to ‘think and learn’ on their own. One thing this technology can be used for is to copy voices, also called voice cloning, and give the impression that you are having a conversation with an individual you know!
Catfishing Creating a fake online profile to intentionally deceive, usually through a romance scam.
Clickbait A story or link designed to attract a reader’s attention. By clicking the link, you may share information unwittingly or inadvertently download malware or spyware.
Grandparent scam. When a criminal poses as a target’s grandchild or other close relative frantically asking for money due to an accident, an arrest or being stranded while travelling. Information the criminal gets from social media helps make the impersonation believable. The target is asked to quickly transfer cash or prepare gift cards or money that an accomplice will pick up.
Hacker Someone who uses the Internet to illegally break into computers.
Identity theft The stealing of your personal information to open accounts or apply for government programs. You don’t receive these benefits, but you are left with demands for payment and damaged credit.
Malware Short for ‘malicious software’, this term includes computer viruses and other types of programs that cybercriminals use to disrupt or access your computer, often with the aim of gathering sensitive files and accounts.
Security Words
3. Download notes for Lesson 1 below.
Malvertising Online advertising that contains malware activated when you click on the ad.
Phishing The use of real-looking emails, often stating to be from a bank or government agency, to persuade a person to respond with sensitive personal data.
Ransomware Malicious software that restricts or disables your device or may hijack and encrypt files, then demands a fee to restore the device’s functionality.
Scareware Malicious software used in tech support scams that displays on-screen warnings of non-existent infections on your computer to persuade you to call a number for assistance, only to be connected to a criminal who seeks to steal money or sensitive information.
Spyware A type of malware installed on devices to track your actions and collect information without your knowledge.
Virus A piece of malicious software that can spread from computer to computer or file to file. It comes to life only when you take a specific action, such as running a particular program or sharing a particular file.
2. Try the quizzes below.
