Ask Meghan: Preventing Facebook viruses

Question: I’ve been receiving a lot of messages lately in my Facebook inbox that tell me to click on links but a friend’s account was recently taken over by hackers. I’m hesitant to click on any links now, what do you think

Answer: Just like in the past when you’ve been advised not to click on links in emails (even if it is from your spouse, boss or your mother), the same rules apply for Facebook and other social networks.

If you receive a Facebook inbox message with subjects like “WOW,” “LOL,” “I saw you in a video” or anything else that seems strange or suspicious, DON’T click on the link. (Most of the emails I’ve received like this are also misspelled. They always tell you to click on a link, usually to YouTube.com or somewhere else.) Even if it seems like a normal email from a trusted family member, friend or colleague, take the time to verify the source before clicking the link. This will save you time and headaches down the road. Often, the person who sent the virus has no idea he’s been infected with the virus and the message is spreading to everyone on his friend list without his knowledge.

If you click on a link and spread the virus, the first thing you need to do is change your password to take back control of your account. Then post a status update explaining you had a virus and didn’t post the link to the inbox or on someone’s wall on purpose. If a friend’s account was hacked, let them know.  You can also visit Facebook’s help page to report the issue.