Securing Your Facebook Account

Fending off spammers and hackers feels like an endless game of Whack-A-Mole these days. When it comes to Facebook, there are a few tools you can utilize before you get hacked. 1. Add trusted contacts You can set up people to be contacted to help you regain access. Go to security settings and choose three to five Facebook friends to contact if you get locked out. Your trusted contacts can send a code and URL from Facebook to help you log back in. https://www.facebook.com/help/119897751441086

2. Turn on two-factor authentication

You can turn on two factor authentication, this means receiving a text to your phone to sign in each time. A hassle, but better than stolen.

https://www.facebook.com/help/909243165853369 3. Don't sign in to other sites with Facebook

Facebook encourages this. Everyone from your bank to your doctor offers a chance to sign in with Facebook instead of an email and password. Google offers the same. Don't fall for it. They want total control over and access to your data. It isn't in your best interest. When you connect accounts (especially with your doctors etc.) Facebook has access to that information and so will the hackers.

4. Don't store credit card data

If you have a credit card associated with your account, the hackers can utilize it. If you have PayPal, they can send themselves money. (Always follow the money). Don't let social media sites have access to your banking data. It's just another breach in your firewall. If you prefer or need to have a credit card associated with social media, use a re-loadable gift card instead of your actual bank and credit cards.
How to change card data: https://www.facebook.com/help/242462812536016/

5. Set up your legacy contact When you pass on to the next great adventure, someone needs to take control of your digital life. Select one individual (they only allow one) to be the person who decides what happens to your Facebook profile. Otherwise, it is ripe for hacking. https://www.facebook.com/help/1070665206293088 6. Report fake profiles when you get friend requests, then block them. Anyone can screen grab your images on social media and set up a fake profile with them. That doesn't mean they have access to your profile, just your photos. Often they set up an account with a name that looks really close to yours. Nothing can prevent that from happening. I recommend watermarking all of the photos you upload. Make the watermark broad enough, and they won't be able to Photoshop the watermark out without ruining the image. They usually set about contacting everyone on your friends list. I take the extra step of notifying the Facebook friend their image is being used. What is interesting is that Facebook claims to allow one profile per person. According to their rule book, they can kick you off if you attempt to have more than one. So I don't know how hackers get past this, but they obviously do. Facebook swears they are working hard to prevent fake profiles, yet they proliferate daily.
"It's against the Facebook Community Standards to maintain more than one personal account."

https://www.facebook.com/help/975828035803295 More reading:

Grave Matters It is a good idea to have a master list of all of your online IDs and passwords for the person left cleaning up your digital footprint.