Keep Yourself Safe on Facebook: Resources, Tips, & More

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Keep you and your Facebook friends safe with our expert advice

Co-authored by Scott Nelson, JD and Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: March 10, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using Strong Security Settings

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Using Privacy Settings

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General Safety Tips

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Common Scams to Avoid on Facebook

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Q&A

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Tips

Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with people, but how do you stay safe using the social media platform? Read on for tips to keep your account secure and avoid common scams, including expert advice from Cyber Safety Specialist and Police Sergeant Scott Nelson, JD.

Use Facebook Safely

Stay safe by taking advantage of Facebook’s privacy and security settings. Set a strong password, turn on login alerts, and set most of your posts and profile data to be viewable by friends only. Nelson recommends caution when meeting strangers from Facebook in person or sending sensitive content in private messages.

Section 1 of 4:

Using Strong Security Settings

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1
Don't tell anyone your password. It should be easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess. It should also be a unique password that you don't use for any other sites.
- Some browsers, like Chrome, have an "Auto-fill and passwords" feature that will save and suggest unique and difficult passwords for every site.^{[1]
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Get notifications about unauthorized logins. If this is enabled, you'll get notifications whenever someone logs into your Facebook account from a new device or browser. Getting notifications like that can let you know when someone is trying to hack your account, and when you should change/strengthen your password.
- To set this up, go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > Password and security > Login alerts and set up how you'd like to receive alerts.^{[2]
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Use two-factor authentication. With this feature enabled, any unauthorized or unrecognized devices will be asked for a special security code that you can get from a security key, an authentication app, or a text message.
- To turn this on and set up 2FA for your Facebook account, go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > Password and security > Two-factor authentication.^{[3]
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Check where you're logged in. You want to be aware of your Facebook profile's activity, so if you see a device (phone or web browser) that you don't recognize, you can log out of it and protect yourself.
- To see where your account is logged in, go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > Password and security > Where you're logged in. If you see a device or browser that you don't recognize, click Log out.^{[4]
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Run a security checkup. If you're not sure that you're being as safe as you can be, run a security checkup to see what you can do to improve your account's security.
- You can do this on your computer, iPhone, iPad, or Android. Go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > Security Checkup, and select the account to run the security check for. When the check is done, select Review to make any suggested changes.

Section 2 of 4:

Using Privacy Settings

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1
Select your audience. You might not always want to create posts that are public, especially if you're just talking with friends and family.^{[5]
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- You can select an audience with each post, but you can also create a default audience. To do this, go to Settings & privacy > Settings > Audience and Visibility > Posts > Who can see your future posts and select an audience. The best setting is "Friends" – so only those on your Friends' List can see the post.^{[6]
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Enable tag review. You may not want to be tagged automatically in posts. This feature allows you to protect your privacy by approve g or removing tags as they are added.
- To set this up, go to Settings & privacy > Settings > Profile and tagging > Review tags people add to your own posts before the tags appear on Facebook.^{[7]
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Protect yourself from appearing in search results. You can adjust your profile so that it stays hidden from the public and search engines.
- To prevent search engines from linking to your Facebook profile, go to Settings & privacy > Settings > Audience and Visibility > How People Find and Contact You and turn the toggle off next to "Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile."^{[8]
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Protect your location data. Apps, checking-in, private messages, or tagging other people can compromise your location privacy. You don't want the public to be able to see your location, so here are some ways to keep it safe:
- Check your tags. Make sure something like a tag in a family photo doesn't contain location data.
- Make sure the audience is set to "Friends" whenever you check into a nearby location.
- Location sharing is off by default for accounts of minors. If location sharing is turned on, the minor will repeatedly get a notification that location sharing is on.^{[9]
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Use the "View As" feature. This allows you to view your profile as the public so you can see what information is shared.
- To do this, go to your profile page, click the three-dot menu under your cover photo, then select View As.^{[10]
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  - Click Exit View As to close the external view.
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Use the privacy checkup. Run this scan to see if you have any privacy leaks that you need to plug.
- To run a privacy checkup, go to Settings & privacy > Privacy Center > Privacy Checkup. Select your account, then look through the categories. You'll also see how long you've had those settings so you can update them if needed.^{[11]
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Section 3 of 4:

General Safety Tips

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Not every picture you take belongs on Facebook. Images of you or others consuming drugs or alcohol, or showing nudity or inappropriate content, should not be uploaded to Facebook. You also want to remove any tags that put you in the picture if any questionable photos happen to be uploaded.
- In addition to keeping inappropriate images off your profile, be careful about sharing sensitive images in private messages with people you don’t know well. Nelson says that malicious scammers sometimes use explicit images to blackmail their victims for money.^{[12]
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Don't give out any personal information. This includes your address, your phone number, and the names or contact info of family members, bosses, and co-workers. Only share this information with people you know.
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Don't air your dirty laundry. Anything you say could get back to the person it was said about, and that can have a negative impact on you.
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Meet at a public place if you're meeting to sell or buy something. Nelson explains that setting up an in-person transaction on Facebook can be unsafe if you’re not careful. Meeting the other person in a public place reduces the chance that you might get scammed or robbed.^{[13]
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Block and report abusive Facebook users. If someone is harassing you or doing other abusive or inappropriate things on Facebook, you can block or report them. Go to their profile and click the three-dot menu to access the block or report options.^{[14]
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- If someone is doing something illegal on Facebook, you can also report them to local law enforcement. Nelson says that they can advise you if the person needs to be reported to state or federal authorities.^{[15]
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Be careful of who you add to your Friends' List. Never add any friend requests or suggestions from anyone that you do not know; they might be a stalker, harasser, or bully. Remember some people can put false information and even a fake picture on their profile. Be wary of who you add.
- If you get a friend request from somebody you’re already friends with on Facebook, contact your friend directly and ask them about it before accepting the request. It’s possible that a scammer is spoofing their account.

Section 4 of 4:

Common Scams to Avoid on Facebook

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Phishing scams. These scams come from what appear to be legitimate sources, like banks, friends, family, or big corporations that you trust. The messages contain links that redirect you outside Facebook to a site that looks original to the source and asks for your personal information. For example, you might get a direct message on Facebook (the message could even be from someone you know) asking you to click a link that then prompts you for personal information or banking details.
- Avoid these scams by:
  - Not clicking on suspicious links or downloading any attachments from unknown sources.
  - Verifying the sender's identity. (If you know the sender but don't recognize the link, make sure their account hasn't been hacked and that your friend or family member meant to send the link.)
  - Looking for inconsistencies in the message; most scammers use poor grammar and spelling or unusually urgent language.
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Romance scams. Since Facebook dating became a popular match-making venue, romance scams have also had a way of victimizing more users. In this case, one user creates a fake profile to seduce someone, gain their trust, and then ask them for money. In most cases, the money is for "an emergency" or travel expenses to visit the victim. But once this user has the money, they might vanish, or stick around, depending if the scammer believes they can get more money out of the victim.
- Avoid these scams by:
  - Being cautious when interacting with others online.
  - Not sending money to people you haven't met.
  - Being wary of profiles that have limited information or too-perfect profile pictures.
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Lottery and giveaway scams. You might get a message that you've won a lottery or giveaway that you didn't enter. You are then asked to provide some personal information and to pay a small fee to claim the prize. While these scammers aren't necessarily aiming to get you for the small fee, they are actually more interested in your personal information and payment data.
- Avoid this scam by:
  - Knowing that legitimate lotteries and giveaways do not require you to pay a small fee to claim anything.
  - Verifying the lottery or giveaway by checking the official website or contacting the company directly.
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Charity scams. In these cases, scammers create false charities or impersonate real ones to solicit for causes that don't exist. These types of scams are more popular after devastating natural disasters and around holidays when people are more giving.
- Avoid these types of scams by:
  - Researching the charity before making donations.
  - Using trusted sources to donate.
  - Being cautious of any charities using urgent language.
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Job offer scams. These scams target job-seekers with high-paying jobs that require minimal effort (like a WFH job); however, these jobs require you to pay an upfront fee including training or materials.
- Avoid these scams by:
  - Being skeptical if a job seems too good to be true.
  - Not paying for an opportunity to get a job.
  - Verifying the company's legitimacy by checking the official website or contacting them directly.

Community Q&A

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Question

How much information is needed to set up an account?

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The basics: first and last name, email, birthday and nationality. Facebook will press you to include other information like your city, education, job, etc., but that stuff isn't required.

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Is it safe for young children?

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If they are under eight or so, probably not, but if they are older and responsible enough, it might be okay. In their profile, just do not add their actual age or address, along with anything else you might think is unsafe for a child.

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How can I prevent others from using my photos on Facebook?

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You cannot fully prevent others from using photos you upload to Facebook. By posting content, you grant Facebook a license to use it according to their terms of service, and they also remove metadata that might contain copyright information. To help identify your photos if they are used elsewhere, consider adding a visible watermark.

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Tips

If you have a kid who wants their own Facebook account, Nelson recommends setting it up for them. This allows you to ensure that their account is set up as securely as possible.^{[16]
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Expert Source

Scott Nelson, JD
Cyber Safety Specialist

Expert Interview}

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Remove anything you think is inappropriate. This could mean wall posts, images, or status. What you may have found funny last night might not be as funny the next morning.

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