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Police: Avoid scams, don't take Facebook quizzes

Posted at 11:38 AM, Nov 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-18 12:42:44-05

Facebook quizzes help identity thieves learn personal information, increasing people's risk of being scammed, according to Prevention.com.

Some quizzes ask questions that are similar to security questions when setting up an account, such as where you were born, the name of the street you lived on, your favorite pet and more. When you answer these questions on the quizzes, you could be giving scammers the answers to hack your accounts.

Additionally, some posts mean well, but prompt people to comment or post information. For example, the following post is likely intended to simply be a fun holiday game, but scammers can use the information you provide, combined with the information on your profile, to scam you.

Police departments across the country are warning residents about these posts and quizzes. Authorities say to avoid commenting on these types of posts and make sure to adjust your privacy settings on Facebook when posting personal information.

If you think your personal information or identity has been stolen, visit the Federal Trade Commission's website about what to do.

This story was originally published by Jodie Filenius at WTMJ.