What Scammers Mine From Your Social Media

  • Your full name, date of birth, and city — for phishing personalization
  • Your travel plans — for home robbery planning
  • Your family members' names — for "family emergency" scams
  • Your phone number — for SIM swap attacks
  • Selfies with documents — for identity fraud

Privacy Settings to Change Today

Instagram

  • Settings → Privacy → Account Privacy → Private Account
  • Settings → Privacy → Activity Status → Turn off
  • Remove your phone number from your public profile

Facebook

  • Settings → Privacy → Who can see your friends list → Only Me
  • Settings → Privacy → Who can look you up → Friends
  • Remove date of birth from public view
Never post: Photos of your ID/passport/Aadhaar, boarding passes (contain booking reference data), photos of new credit/debit cards, or your home address.

Spotting Fake Profiles & Scammers

  • Generic attractive profile photos (run a reverse image search with Google Images)
  • Account created recently with few followers/friends
  • Messaging you out of the blue with "investment opportunities"
  • Fake celebrity accounts asking for money or gift cards

Account Security

  • Enable 2FA on all social media accounts
  • Use a unique password for each platform
  • Check active sessions regularly and log out of unfamiliar devices
  • Be cautious with "Login with Facebook/Google" on third-party apps