Millions of Facebook users have warned about “Christmas hacks” – check your login now

CHRISTMAS is a time of joy and merriment – but hackers and scammers also strike.

Cyber ​​experts warn Facebook users need to be careful during the holiday season.

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It’s an attempt to avoid falling victim to a wave of digital scams.

Therefore, it’s more important than ever to check your Facebook account and make sure it’s in good standing.

Scammers and hackers use shopping habits, festive goodwill and new technologies to hijack your accounts.

Facebook has billions of users around the world, making it a prime target for online crooks.

We spoke to several cyber experts who shared how to stay safe on Facebook this Christmas.

“Our number one tip for staying safe when using Facebook at Christmas is to check which other company’s apps you’ve logged into through Facebook,” CyberSmart CEO Jamie Ahktar told The Sun.

“Although most of these apps will be legitimate, most of us in our day have used a shady quiz or game app.

“And the problem is that these apps can often be used by cyber criminals to hack your account or steal data.

“The good news is that it’s a very simple fix that shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

“Just go to the privacy settings in your account and clear your ‘off facebook history’.

“Doing this about every six months is a simple but effective way to improve your online security.”

Many hackers and scammers will try to impersonate your loved ones.

It’s an easy way to get cash out of you with apps like Facebook — without having to hijack your accounts.

“Watch out for messages claiming to be solicited from friends or family members for donations, loans and other potential financial issues,” Chris Hauk, consumer privacy advocate at Pixel Privacy, told The Sun.

“Also, never click on the ads in your Facebook feed as this is a popular method among scammers to steal your money and credit card information from you.”

Ultimately, one of the best ways to stay safe is to simply secure your account with a strong password.

Don’t share passwords across multiple websites, and never choose a short or simple one.

“Ironically, some of the best ways to protect yourself this Christmas aren’t even high-tech,” Erich Kron, cyber expert at KnowBe4, told The Sun.

“As always, passwords are a risk for most people, especially when they are reused across different websites.

“Cyber ​​criminals know that if they get a password, it’s likely to work elsewhere, so they work hard to get people to give it up.”

Cyber ​​expert Sam Curry adds: “In the short term, consumers should protect themselves with strong passwords and also enable two-factor authentication.

“Resetting passwords is always a good security measure, and you’d be surprised how many people still use the 123456 or ABCDEF password today,” said Cybereason’s Chief Security Officer.

“In this day and age, with a more complex and diverse attack surface, this is never a good idea.

“Laziness is not an excuse, because that’s what hackers are after, and their greatest asset is patience and time.”

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