BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Better Business Bureau is warning Facebook users about a trend that has people of posting old high school photos to honor the graduating class of 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the BBB, the trend may actually leave users vulnerable to scammers. The organizations says scammers that surf through the #ClassOf2020 hashtag have access to the high schools and graduation years of anyone who posted. Both are common answers to online security questions.
Once the scammers have that information, they can do another online search to find more information about the person who shared the photo, the BBB says.
According to the BBB, other recent viral trends like posting previously owned cars, favorite athletes and favorite television shows can leave Facebook users vulnerable for the same reason.
"What most people forget is that some of these 'favorite things' are commonly used passwords or security questions," the BBB said. "If your social media privacy settings aren't high, you could be giving valuable information away for anyone to use."
Here are some tips from the BBB to keep you safe on social media:
Resist the temptation to play along. While it's fun to see other's posts, the BBB says not to play along if you're uncomfortable.
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 that something you shared could open you up to fraud, review and change your security settings for banking and other websites.
For more information visit the BBB website here.
This story was originally published by Anthony Reyes on WKBW in Buffalo, New York.
