Better Business Bureau says think twice about sharing your senior photo on Facebook

It’s an idea intended to show support for members of the Class of 2020 who are missing out on much of their senior year due to COVID-19. But the #Classof2020 Facebook challenge is attracting the attention of scammers, the Better Business Bureau warns.

“Fraudsters and scammers are taking notice, and they’re happy to snap up your good intentions to try and profit,” says Vee Daniel, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Upstate SC.

The idea is to post a photo of your old high school senior picture, but many are including their high school name and graduation year in their posts. Scammers and hackers can potentially use that information, which are common online security questions, in an additional internet search to reveal more information about you, the BBB says.

The BBB is cautioning everyone to be aware of what they are sharing. Even if you think it’s just going to your friends, it could also be going elsewhere.

Other recent viral personal list posts include all the cars you’ve owned (including makes/model years), favorite athletes, and top 10 favorite television shows.

“Most people forget that some of our favorite things are commonly used passwords or security questions,” Daniel said. “If your social media privacy settings aren’t high, you could be offering up valuable information for scammers to use.”

BBB has the following tips to keep you safe on social media:

• Resist the temptation to play along. While it’s fun to see other’s posts, if you are uncomfortable participating, it is best to not do it.
• 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 about something you shared possibly opening you up to fraud, review and change your security settings for banking and other websites.

For more information about privacy concerns online, see BBB’s scam alert on Facebook quizzes.

For tips for staying safe online, read BBB’s tips on staying cybersecure.

You can report scams to the BBB Scam Tracker.