ATLANTA, Ga. — It may seem like a fun little distraction from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Better Business Bureau is warning people to think twice about posting their senior photos on Facebook.
Lately, the latest Facebook trend had been to post your senior photo to show your support for the Class of 2020, a group which finds themselves in jeopardy of losing out on prom and graduation festivities this year due to coronavirus. In addition to the senior photo, many are posting their school name and graduating year.
The BBB warns that scammers and hackers will not only see these senior photos, but will have your high school name and graduation year, both of which are common answers to online security questions. More information about you, like your family members, your real name, birthdate, etc., are easily found with an internet search.
Be aware of what you are sharing. Even if its meant for friends and family, it could be seen by more unsavory characters.
You should also be careful about lists that put even more personal information online. What people tend to forget is some of your favorite things are commonly used for passwords or security questions. Make sure your social media security is high before posting such information.
BBB has the following tips to keep you safe on social media:
Resist the temptation to play along. While it’s fun to see other’s posts, if you are uncomfortable participating, it is best to not do it.
Review your security settings. Check your security settings on all social media platforms to see what you are sharing and with whom you are sharing.
Change security questions/settings. If you are nervous about something you shared possibly opening you up to fraud, review and change your security settings for banking and other websites.
For more information about privacy concerns online, see BBB’s scam alert on Facebook quizzes.
For tips for staying safe online, read BBB’s tips on staying cyber secure.
Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker.