CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - We know the spammers and scammers go where the people are and right now Pinterest is where to find them.
One spammer said during an interview that he is making $1000 a day on Pinterest just sending out spam.
However, you don't have to get pinned down by the spammers and scanners. WBTV's cyber expert Theresa Payton has some advice:
HOW IT WORKS:
1. Spammers may create a pin on a popular topic and then tag your name in the message
2. This tag might get you or your friends to click on a link in the pin which then serves up spam or leads them to a malicious software site
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF:
1. Research: If you get an email notice that someone is following you, do your research and look at their pins on their board
2. Ratio of Following to Followers: Look for telltale signs like they have very few followers but they are only following a few people
3. Mismatched Topics: Does the board title match the pins?
4. Report it!: Use the "Report Pin" button on Pinterest to report spam or anything suspicious
5. Pinterest.com is the only Pinterest website: Don't trust other variations of the website name
WEB RESOURCES:
Pinterest Support Page to Report Problems
Pinterest Blog Post on How to Avoid Spam
Interview with the Pinterest spammer
WORD OF THE WEEK:
FLASHBACK TROJAN: this is the name of the recent virus infecting Macs. You can fight back against Flashback by making sure you have updated your Mac's operating system to the latest version. F-Secure has instructions on how to see if you have the virus and on how to remove it.
Flashback Trojan remove at F-Secure
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