In this type of fraud, scammers gather personal information from social media feeds and networking sites to impersonate their victims through identity theft.

• Step 1

Fraudsters use fake identities on social media sites and lure victims into sharing personal and financial information.

• Step 2

Using this stolen information, they look for opportunities to defraud when the user is not socially active.

• Use a separate email address for your social networking sites. Many such sites use your email address to identify you.
• Do not use the same username and password for your social networking sites as those you use to access your Al Hilal bank accounts.
• Never share personal information such as user IDs, PINs and account numbers on social media sites.
• Create a screen name that doesn't reveal too much about you.
• Be careful when clicking links. Even if the message appears to come from a friend, contact the sender directly to make sure it's authentic if you are at all suspicious.
• Post only information that you are comfortable for others, including strangers, to see. Regard all information posted on social media sites as public and permanent.
• Use privacy settings to limit access to your information.
• Never post any information that could help thieves steal your identity, such as your address, phone number or even employment information.
• Use a unique password for each of your social networking profiles. Ensure that these do not match the passwords used for banking and other sensitive activities.