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GACS will never ask for your seed phrase, private keys, or payment. Always free.
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The 2026 social media safety checklist (printable)

40 items across 6 categories — account hardening, impersonator monitoring, DM hygiene, follower protection, continuous alerting, and recovery. Bookmark it. Print it. Share it.

Need the 30-second version? Run the GACS social scanner on your own handle now — it surfaces the impersonators currently active in your reply threads.

1. Account hardening (do this once)

The boring stuff that stops 95% of takeover attempts.

  • Turn on app-based 2FA (Authy, 1Password, Google Authenticator) on every account — never SMS-only.
  • Generate a 24-character unique password per platform using a password manager. Reusing passwords is the #1 cause of takeover in 2026.
  • Remove SMS as a backup recovery method on X, Instagram, and TikTok where the platform allows it.
  • Add a recovery email that nobody else knows about — not the one printed on your business card.
  • Print or save your 2FA recovery codes offline. Don't store them in the same password manager.
  • Audit connected apps every 90 days and revoke anything you haven't used in 30 days.
  • Lock down your phone number with your carrier (port-out PIN). SIM-swap attacks bypass everything else.
  • Enable login alerts so you see new sign-ins in real time.

2. Impersonator monitoring (weekly, 5 minutes)

Find fake versions of yourself before they reach your followers.

  • Search your exact handle, display name, and common typos on each platform. Bookmark the search URLs.
  • Set a Google Alert for your name plus the words "DM", "giveaway", and "recovery".
  • Run your handle through the GACS social scanner weekly to surface impersonators in the reply threads.
  • Reverse-image-search your profile picture monthly to find clones.
  • Claim your handle on every major platform — even ones you don't use — to deny squatters.
  • Pin a post that explicitly lists the URL of your real, authoritative account.
  • If you're a creator: add your verified GACS badge to your website and bio link.

3. DM hygiene (every message)

The 2026 scammer's playbook starts with a friendly DM.

  • Treat every unsolicited DM about money, investments, recovery, or jobs as a scam until proven otherwise.
  • Never click links in DMs. Open a new tab and type the URL by hand.
  • Verify support accounts by going to the official website's footer — exchanges and platforms never DM first.
  • Voice-clone defense: if a friend asks for money via DM or voice note, call them on a known number to confirm.
  • Watch for urgency language: "limited time", "verify now", "your account will be locked". Real platforms don't write like that.
  • Hover over every link to see the real destination. Use /link-checker if anything looks off.
  • If a job offer arrives via DM and asks you to download a Zoom-alike or sign up on an unknown site, it's malware.

4. Protecting your followers (creators & brands)

Impersonators rarely target you — they target your audience.

  • Post a public "how to identify the real me" pinned thread, updated quarterly.
  • Use the GACS Creator Safety Toolkit to scan your reply threads for impersonator accounts.
  • Announce that you never DM first about partnerships, refunds, giveaways, or financial advice.
  • Train your moderators to recognize recovery-scam replies (they always promise to get stolen funds back).
  • Report impersonators via the platform's bulk reporting form — single reports rarely get action.
  • Encourage followers to bookmark /protect-your-followers and share with their audience.

5. Continuous alerting

Set it once. Get notified when something changes.

  • Add yourself to /watchlist on GACS to get email alerts when new impersonators of your handle are detected.
  • Subscribe to the daily scam digest at /scam-alerts to see what's trending in your country.
  • Set platform notifications for mentions, but mute likes and reposts to keep signal high.
  • Turn on Apple's or Android's spam-call screening — 60% of recovery scams now start with a phone call.

6. If something already happened

The first hour matters more than the next month.

  • Stop all contact with the scammer. Don't reply, don't "try to get them to slip up". Screenshot everything first.
  • Change passwords on every account that shared the compromised one.
  • Report to the platform, your bank, and the relevant national authority — see /report-to-authorities for direct links.
  • Do not engage with anyone DMing about "fund recovery". 100% of those are follow-up scams. See /recovery-scam-warning-signs.
  • File a report on /report so the scammer enters the public database and the next person finds the warning.
  • If a loved one was scammed, read /elder-fraud-playbook before the next conversation.

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