Here are a few things you can do to make every effort to keep your accounts safe:
1. DON’T GIVE OUT YOUR PERSONAL INFO ON ANY SOCIAL MEDIA SITES — EVER -This sounds obvious, but don’t give out where you were born — city and state, especially — ever, in a public forum.
2. PASSWORDS - Passwords need to be at least 8 characters, though new updates say 10 to 12 is better, and should contain a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols (i.e., Water*2bottle).
3. LINKS - You should not click on any link in a DM. Even if you know the person, they may have been hacked. When you’re not sure, DM them back and confirm that they've sent you that DM with the link. The same applies with Facebook, Google+, or anywhere else you can converse with folks privately.
4. EMAIL - Not on social media, but worth mentioning, how many fake emails have you received telling you that you've won a million bucks? It’s obvious that they are fake, right? Hackers have gotten smart, though, and they will tell you that your account has been compromised and to click here to change your password. Do not click on an email link that asks for any kind of personal information or tells you that you've been hacked, even if it looks real. Contact the original company or site instead, or go to their website from Google or another search engine to connect to their customer service. Never click on the link in the email — it’s like an open invitation to send a virus.