You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
By Casey Mysliwy
Social-media web sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, have become fertile hunting grounds for bad guys phishing for your ID, angling for your money or hoping to redirect you to malicious sites. Be on the lookout for these three scams:
Money transfers. You get a message from a friend saying that his wallet has been stolen while traveling, and he needs you to wire him money. Because the message seems to come directly from someone you know, you might be tempted to help. But if you receive one of these messages, get in touch with your friend -- offline -- to find out what's really going on.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
This scam first showed up in e-mails, and the social-media version works in a similar way: A hacker hijacks your social-media identity and then contacts your friends, usually through a private message, status update or chat message. Because hackers typically send the same message to several friends, you can usually identify the scheme based on the simplicity of the request. "Scammers try to keep their messages generic," says Chester Wisniewski, of Sophos, a data-protection firm. "They won't answer any kind of question that is off the beaten path."
Applications. You might see an update from a friend inviting you to take a quiz, view a "shocking" video or sign up for a free offer. Clicking on the link directs you to an application that asks for personal information -- phone number, Social Security number, or social-media user name and password -- before you can access the content.
Don't take the bait. Providing information could leave you with a stolen identity, surprise charges on your phone bill or a hacked social-media account. The application could also use your account to send the bogus content to others -- which is probably how your friend unintentionally shared it with you.
Before you click through, read user reviews of the application or search the Web to find out whether an application is legitimate. If a rogue app does access your account, social-media resource Mashable.com recommends that you remove it from your social-media site's application settings and then delete any messages it may have posted from your account.
Shortened URLs. URL shorteners such as Bit.ly or TinyURL.com are popular ways to share long links on social-media sites. But a shortened URL can hide a link's true destination, sometimes directing users to a malicious Web site or damaging content.
To protect yourself, Wisniewski suggests installing a URL expander for your browser; Internet Explorer and Firefox both offer options. URL expanders allow you to preview the actual URL of a shortened link before you click. If you do click on a link that takes you to a suspicious site, avoid installing any programs or providing personal information, and make sure your antivirus software is enabled and up-to-date.
-
Dow Leads in Mixed Session on Amgen Earnings: Stock Market TodayThe rest of Wall Street struggled as Advanced Micro Devices earnings caused a chip-stock sell-off.
-
How to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics Without OverpayingHere’s how to stream the 2026 Winter Olympics live, including low-cost viewing options, Peacock access and ways to catch your favorite athletes and events from anywhere.
-
Here’s How to Stream the Super Bowl for LessWe'll show you the least expensive ways to stream football's biggest event.
-
9 Types of Insurance You Probably Don't NeedFinancial Planning If you're paying for these types of insurance, you may be wasting your money. Here's what you need to know.
-
Seven Things You Should Do Now if You Think Your Identity Was StolenIf you suspect your identity was stolen, there are several steps you can take to protect yourself, but make sure you take action fast.
-
The 8 Financial Documents You Should Always ShredIdentity Theft The financial documents piling up at home put you at risk of fraud. Learn the eight types of financial documents you should always shred to protect yourself.
-
How to Guard Against the New Generation of Fraud and Identity TheftIdentity Theft Fraud and identity theft are getting more sophisticated and harder to spot. Stay ahead of the scammers with our advice.
-
12 Ways to Protect Yourself From Fraud and ScamsIdentity Theft Think you can spot the telltale signs of frauds and scams? Follow these 12 tips to stay safe from evolving threats and prevent others from falling victim.
-
Watch Out for These Travel Scams This SummerIdentity Theft These travel scams are easy to fall for and could wreck your summer. Take a moment to read up on the warning signs and simple ways to protect yourself.
-
Amazon Resale: Where Amazon Prime Returns Become Your Online BargainsFeature Amazon Resale products may have some imperfections, but that often leads to wildly discounted prices.
-
How to Guard Against Identity Theft in 2025Scammers are getting better at impersonating legitimate businesses.
