{"id":8545,"date":"2025-01-23T23:02:35","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T23:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/?p=8545"},"modified":"2025-08-14T20:58:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T20:58:16","slug":"protect-and-secure-your-facebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/extortion\/protect-and-secure-your-facebook\/","title":{"rendered":"Protect and Secure Your Facebook From Scammers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the anonymous nature of social media and over three billion users<\/a>, Facebook is one of the first places constantly targeted by cybercriminals. Think of it as digital fishing with a giant net. Cybercriminals cast their reach wide, pulling in all the user data they can find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook encourages users to share as much information about themselves as possible. However, the more the platform knows, the more vulnerable you become to cyberattacks, including phishing<\/a>, blackmail<\/a>, impersonation<\/a>, and sextortion<\/a>. Taking steps to secure your Facebook profile can help prevent you from falling victim to these scams. Remember to stay safe by being cautious with the information you allow strangers to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Steps to Lock Down Your Profile<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you seen this blue icon on someone\u2019s profile? This means the user has locked their profile to show a limited view of their content to people that are not friends. Taking this step is one of the most effective ways to stop Facebook blackmail<\/a> before it begins. Here is how to lock your Facebook profile:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Go to your Facebook profile<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Click the three horizontal dots in the upper-right corner<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Select \u201cLock profile\u201d and confirm. Once you confirm, your content and information will immediately be locked to everyone except your friends.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Please note that this features is currently unavailable, as of January 2025, to users in the United States and Canada. If you are in one of these countries are are looking for steps to keep your profile and you information safe on the Facebook app, you can set up your privacy settings to achieve a some of the benefits of profile locking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n \n \n \n\n \n \"Using\n <\/picture>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/span>Using Privacy Settings to Secure Your Account<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you’re unable to lock your Facebook profile due to your location in the US, Canada, or other major country, you can take these six steps in your privacy settings to achieve a similar level of protection. Here are the key actions you can take:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/span>Limit Who Can See Your Posts<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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    • Go to Settings<\/strong> > Privacy<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Under Your Activity<\/strong>, adjust the Who can see your future posts?<\/strong> setting to Friends<\/strong> or Only Me<\/strong> if you want to limit who can view your posts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • You can also Limit the audience for posts you’ve shared with<\/strong> by selecting Limit Past Posts<\/strong>. This will restrict visibility on older posts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      <\/span>Adjust Who Can See Your Friends List<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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      • Go to Settings<\/strong> > Privacy<\/strong> > How People Find and Contact You<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Set Who can see your friends list?<\/strong> to Only Me<\/strong> or Friends<\/strong> to keep your connections private.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        <\/span>Manage Who Can Send You Friend Requests<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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        • In Settings<\/strong> > Privacy<\/strong>, under How People Find and Contact You<\/strong>, set Who can send you friend requests?<\/strong> to Friends of Friends<\/strong> to reduce unwanted friend requests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          <\/span>Control Who Can Look You Up<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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          • In Settings<\/strong> > Privacy<\/strong>, adjust the following:\n
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            • Who can look you up using the email address you provided?<\/strong> Set to Friends<\/strong> or Only Me<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?<\/strong> Set to Friends<\/strong> or Only Me<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?<\/strong> Turn this off to prevent your profile from appearing in search engine results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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