The Better Business Bureau is warning social media users that scammers are now tagrgetting individuals and businesses via Facebook.

The 700 million global Facebook users create a virtual playground for scammers to target unsuspecting users.

Common scams include fake lotteries and grants and work-from-home rip off schemes.

Acadiana Better Business Bureau President and CEO Sharane Gott offers following tips to avoid spam, scams and identity theft.

  • Change Your Password. If you have fallen victim to a phishing scheme or hack attack, it's likely that someone else has obtained your password and is using it to access your account. Remember, the more complex the password, the safer you'll be. Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.
  • Clean Out Your Apps. Resist downloading apps which "allow" access to your profile. Spammers often use this open door to take over your profile. If you fell for a rogue app and mistakenly clicked "Allow," or if you notice excessive activity on your account, you should edit your list of apps and remove any suspicious ones.
  • Delete Spam Messages and alerts from your wall and Facebook inbox. The fewer there are, the less likely you or your friends will be to click on them.
    If you suspect your account has been compromised, alert Facebook. To report privacy breaches, direct reports to privacy@facebook.com. If a scammer gained access to your account password via phishing attack, fill out Facebook's phishing report.
  • It’s a good practice to manually scan your computer hard drive for malicious software on a regular basis.
  • If you believe that someone has taken control of your profile and is in the process of spamming your friends, log out of Facebook to stop the attack.

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