Scammers are now targeting social networks to obtain more personal information to use against users. This move leaves people who use such services open to phishing attacks and other scams.

As social networks are gaining popularity, scammers are moving to these online services to obtain more information to convince and gain the trust of users, making their scams more believable. Even the most basic information available on these networks can be used by scammers to personalize their scam attempts in order to persuade their prospective victims to provide more personal information. (Learn how to get rid of scammers)

Some scammers may even persuade users to click on a link that leads to a custom site that automatically downloads malware like spyware and keyloggers, leaving them exposed to identity theft.

As a precaution, users of the social networks should refrain from adding people to their networks if they do not know or trust the person. It is also recommended that users keep their profile pages private so that other people will not be able to view information unless they are part of the user's social network. If you enjoyed reading this article, might as well read 12 snazzy uses for social networking websites.