I am not trying to be a killjoy about Facebook and all the benefits of social media and networking but you need to be much more circumspect about whom you choose to trust online.
Years ago it would take several weeks for identity thieves to gather such kind of informaiton about a single person. Social networks have mad it easier for the bad guys to scoop up information about innocent members of the public. Everyone must learn to be more careful about how they share information online, or risk becoming the victims of identity thieves.
Remember, when you were getting warnings on being careful of opening emails or attachments from people you don't know. Even opening attachments from people you do know can be hazardous to your PC's health. Social Media is one in the same but you have control over what you post and how much information you put out there.
Here are some tips for users who want to protect themselves from identity thieves on Facebook:
- Don't blindly accept friends. Treat a friend as the dictionary does, namely "someone whom you know, like and trust." A friend is not merely a button you click on. You don't need, and can't realistically claim to have, 815 true friends.
- Learn the privacy system of any social networking site you join. Use restrictive settings by default. You can open up to true friends later. Don't give away too much too soon.
- Assume that everything you reveal on a social networking site will be visible on the Internet for ever. Once it has been searched, and indexed, and cached, it may later turn up online no matter what steps you take to delete it.
- Don't let people know that your not home or are away for an extended period of time -- it is an open invitation for someone to visit your home and problems.
Our honeymoon period with social networking sites ought to be over by now -- but many users still have a 'couldn't care less' attitude to their personal data.
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