UK faces rising social media hacking and scams

In the UK, reports of social media hacking surged to over 35,000 in 2024, up from 22,530 in 2023. Nearly £1 million was lost to hackers targeting mainly older individuals through platforms like Facebook. Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting service, has launched a campaign with Meta to promote online security. They recommend enabling 2-Step Verification and using strong, unique passwords for each account. Common hacking methods include phishing and chain hacking, where fraudsters impersonate account owners to gain access to sensitive information. Security experts emphasize that 2-Step Verification is crucial for protecting online accounts.