These days it’s the era of social media. People now communicate more through memes than posts. Memes are not just for humor, but have become part of our daily conversations. Especially for Gen-Z, they have become a kind of language. As soon as a trending meme appears, they immediately send it to friends and talk about it for hours. However, these same memes can become a big threat to your privacy. Actually, these memes are attached with viruses (malware or spyware) that can steal bank account details, passwords and personal data after reaching your phone. Therefore, it’s very important to identify such memes and be alert in time. So let’s learn how memes can be dangerous for your privacy and how to identify such scam memes. Question- What are virus-infected memes? Answer- Virus-infected memes are images that appear fun and normal to look at, but contain dangerous viruses hidden within them. When you download or open them, they can damage your mobile or computer. They can also steal your information without telling you. Question- How do these memes look? Answer- These memes look exactly like regular memes. Like photos with funny captions, memes made on popular trends, and jokes related to celebrities or politics. You can’t tell from the outside that they contain code that activates after downloading. Sometimes they also come as links or files, which infect the phone or computer with a virus as soon as they are opened. Question- How dangerous is it to download such memes? Answer- When you download a virus-infected meme, it can become a huge threat to your mobile or computer. These are not just funny photos, but the viruses and dangerous code hidden inside them can damage your device. This can lead to theft of personal information and your device will not work properly. Question- How can we identify such memes? Answer- We often see memes on social media or chats that make us laugh or think. Most memes are created just for fun, but some cybercriminals use them to harm your mobile or computer. These memes may look normal, but they contain hidden viruses or dangerous code. You can identify them through some common signs. Question- Are viruses only found in meme photos or can they also be hidden in videos and GIFs? Answer- Now cybercriminals can hide viruses in videos and GIF files along with photos. For example, sometimes a meme is sent to you in the form of a video or GIF. While it looks like just a funny clip, in reality it could be a file that contains hidden code. As soon as you click on it, it can download a virus or malware to your device. In some cases, such a meme appears like a GIF, but as soon as you tap on it, it takes you to a suspicious website or link. From there, the virus can automatically download and start stealing your information. Question- Which users are targeted the most? Answer- Cyber criminals target people who have limited knowledge of technology or cyber security. These users easily trust any funny meme, link or forwarded message. Generally, elderly people, teenagers and youth become the most common victims of this scam. Question- What precautions should users take to avoid virus-infected memes? Answer- There are some important things to keep in mind before downloading any meme. Question- What should you do if you accidentally open a virus-containing meme? Answer- If you have accidentally opened a virus-containing meme, take some important steps immediately instead of panicking. These steps can save your mobile or computer from major damage. Such as- Question – How to report such memes? Answer – Platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram have a ‘Report’ option, report from there. Additionally, to report cyber crime, you can visit www.cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 to file a cyber fraud complaint.
