LOCAL
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8 - 14 2024 • PAGE 8
Stone Mountain Police urge public
to stop taking online quizzes
Stone Mountain Police are asking the public to stop taking quizzes on
social media platforms like Facebook as these may be scams to mine for
personal information. File photo
BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE
CHRISTINE@DEKALBCAHMP.COM
Officials with the Stone
Mountain Police Department
are asking residents to
stop taking quizzes on
social media apps such as
Facebook, stating the "fun
activity to pass the time"
is actually a scam to gather
personal information.
On Jan. 31, Stone
Mountain police posted
warnings on its social media
pages asking social media
users to stop clicking on
quizzes where users are
often asked to "tap to play"
and then answer a series
of questions in a pop-up
window to reveal an answer
or quote. The problem,
stated Stone Mountain
Police, is that these apps
are designed to be used by
marketers and scammers to
gather personal information.
"These are third-party
apps that are not developed
to show you what ice cream
flavor you are," stated Stone
Mountain police. "They have
been designed to gather
specific details."
According to PC
Magazine, a third-party
app is an application that is
provided by a vendor other
than the manufacturer-
meaning a quiz on Facebook
was not designed and is
not regulated by Facebook
engineers.
According to the Better
Business Bureau (BBB), social
media data and quiz answers
can be used to steal an
identity or enable a scammer
to impersonate a person
to their friends and family
online.
"A few questions are
answered to prove how
well the user knows a friend
or a short personality test
is offered to match with a
character from a favorite
TV show," said BBB officials.
"These quizzes appear to
be meaningless, but the
intent behind them is to
collect information. For
example, questions like
'What was the first car you
owned?' 'What is your
mother's maiden name?'
or 'What is the name of the
street you grew up on?' are
common security questions
for insurance, banking and
credit card accounts. Sharing
this information can lead
to accounts being hacked,
and personal and financial
information being stolen."
Officials with BBB
recommend taking the
following steps to minimize
the chances of being
scammed on social media
through quizzes or other
third-party apps designed to
look like a game:
• Be skeptical and before
answering a quiz, figure
out who created it. "Is it a
trust-worthy brand?" asked
BBB officials. "Just because
something appears to be
fun and innocent, doesn't
mean there isn't an
inherent risk."
• Review the social media
account's privacy settings
and be strict about any
information that is shared.
• Remove personal details
from a profile and do not
share information such as
a phone number or home
address on social media
accounts.
Be cautious if the questions
in a quiz ask for things such
as mother's maiden name,
an old address, previously
owned vehicles, favorite
foods, or the name of your
high school.
Don't accept friend
requests from strangers.
"Also be wary of a second
friend request from
someone you are already
connected with; the
second profile may be an
impostor trying to access
your data and your friends
list," stated BBB officials.
For more information,
visit https://www.
stonemountaincity.org/
departments/police/index,
php.
Brookhaven named electric
vehicle city of the year
BY JAY PHILLIPS
JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
City of Brookhaven was named the 2023 City of the Year
by Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) on Jan. 27.
EVA's website states it is the leading volunteer
organization for electric vehicle adoption in North America;
a news release states that Brookhaven was recognized as the
2023 City of the Year for its initiatives that encouraged the
adoption of electric vehicles throughout the city.
Some of the initiatives from 2023 include budgeting to
purchase 15 hybrid or electric vehicles for Brookhaven Police
Department, two hybrid or electric vehicles for Brookhaven
Community Development Department, one electric car for
Brookhaven City Manager's Office, and one electric pick-up
truck for Brookhaven Parks and Recreation Department.
At a press conference in 2023, former Brookhaven Mayor
John Ernst said more than half of the 85 active Brookhaven
police vehicles have been replaced with either hybrid or all
electric vehicles.
In 2019, city officials passed an ordinance that requires
all commercial developments and multi-family housing
complexes provide electric vehicle chargers and that all new
single-family homes have wiring installed to accommodate
electric vehicles.
Ernst—who was an advocate for electric vehicles
throughout his time as mayor—spoke about the progress
the city has made in adopting electric vehicles and charging
stations and accepted the award for Brookhaven.
SEE BROOKHAVEN ON PAGE 13
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