5 Social-Media Stories You Shouldn't Believe
By Sue Marquette Poremba, Tech News Daily, 18 March 2013.
By Sue Marquette Poremba, Tech News Daily, 18 March 2013.
Introduction
Have you seen the commercial where the woman says, "I saw it on the Internet, so it must be true"?
Of course, you know better than to believe that. In fact, one of Abraham Lincoln's most famous quotations warns us not to believe everything we read on the Internet.
Credit: Alex James Bramwell/Shutterstock.com
Variations of that Lincoln "quote" made the rounds on various social-media sites last year. No matter how many times it was reposted, someone in the comments section would always fall for the joke.
If people will believe Abraham Lincoln mentioned the Internet in a speech, imagine how many people will believe something that actually sounds like it could be true.
Social-media sites have proven useful for sharing recipes, helpful hints and even warnings of dangerous situations.
But not every hint or piece of advice is true. In fact, some may even put you at risk.
Here are some of the more popular hoaxes making the social-media rounds right now.
1. Reverse your ATM PIN to call police
According to this rumour, all automated teller machines have a built-in alarm system that is triggered by typing in your PIN backwards while your card is still in the slot.
The machine is said to recognize the backwards number, and will release money but at the same time alert the police.
Some versions of the posting say that various banks have verified that this works, and suggest everyone pass it on to all of their friends.
This hoax is not new - according to the urban-legend-debunking website Snopes, the story first made the rounds in 2006 - but it is in fact based on a real system called SafetyPIN.
However, the banking industry has refused to install the system, and the Federal Trade Commission released a document that states that the technology has never been used on American ATMs.
The FTC also warned that trying this "safety trick" could end up putting ATM customers at even more risk during a robbery.
2. Hotel key cards are linked to credit cards
Credit: Oleksiy Mark/Shutterstock.com
The hotel key card story isn't so much an intentional urban myth as it is a misunderstanding, according to Robert Siciliano, a Boston-based McAfee Online Security Expert.
Hotel key cards have a magnetic strip, just like a credit card, that can be encoded with credit card numbers the same way a credit card can.
Identity thieves who hack and crack credit card databases will encode any magnetic stripped card, including the readily available hotel keys, with stolen information. This is called "card cloning" and is done every day.
"Somewhere along the lines, it is possible law enforcement read the data off a hotel key cloned card and someone got confused and decided to write and email telling everyone that hotels store personal information on their keys. They don't," Siciliano said.
3. Facebook privacy warnings
Credit: Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com
Every time Facebook makes a change, it seems like the privacy warnings begin popping up.
For example, now that the new Graph Search is available, countless Facebook members are reposting a post that starts: "DUE TO THE NEW 'GRAPH APP' ANYONE ON FACEBOOK (INCLUDING OTHER COUNTRIES) CAN SEE YOUR PICTURES, LIKES, AND COMMENTS. The next 2 weeks I will be posting this, and please once you have done it please post DONE! Those of you who do not keep my information from going out to the public, I will have to DELETE YOU!"
The idea is that if your friends don’t follow these instructions, hackers will hit your site and have access to your information.
Yes, it is possible someone will hack into your site, but it will probably be because of something you have done rather than as a result of poor Facebook security.
For example, you may have allowed malware onto your machine, used an easy-to-crack password, forgot to log off a machine others use or not properly utilized the privacy settings already on Facebook.
Any time you put personal information on a website, including Facebook, you are at risk of that information being stolen or compromised.
The best way to protect yourself is by not revealing too much, rather than by threatening all your friends.
4. Rape prevention and protection
Credit: Felix Mizioznikov/Shutterstock.com
A post that is titled "Through a Rapist’s Eyes" is accompanied by a chilling photo of what appears to be a woman's wrists being held to the ground by a man's hands.
The post goes on to explain exactly what a rapist is looking for in a potential victim and how a woman can protect herself.
A similar post claims that by dialling certain numbers on your cell phone (either #77 or 112), you will automatically be connected to the state police.
Although Snopes did point out that some states do have a system where #77 will connect you directly to law enforcement, not every state follows it.
Every state does use 911, however, and that is universally the best way to contact police or any emergency personnel (and is also the same number of digits as #77).
In regards to the "Rapist’s Eyes" post, Snopes reminds readers that being aware of your surroundings is always sound advice, because anyone who appears distracted or lost - no matter what they are wearing, or how they look, or what sex they are - is at risk.
5. 'Like' for cash
Not all hoaxes put you at risk. Some just make you look a little foolish. Or, perhaps, the only risk involved is making you look money-hungry.
Two popular hoaxes right now involve Bill Gates and lottery winners who won mega-millions of dollars. If you like or share the photo of Gates or a lottery winner, you’ll receive lots of cash in return.
Actually, all you'll get in return is comments from your friends telling you that this is a hoax. The millionaires and the billionaire aren't sharing their money with their social-media friends.
Top image via VentureBeat
Social media is cost-effective marketing strategy but you should still know more about social media its advantages and disadvantages and also face all challenges and risks of social media.
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