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Online Information Sharing Leads to Identity Theft Risks

Social media can at times be a double-edged sword.
On one hand, it allows us to connect with our friends
and family, stay in touch, market products and even
build our businesses; there’s no denying that social
media divulges an incredible amount of private
information, and makes it available to nearly anyone
with an internet connection.

Part of the problem is that many users (particularly
the young crowds) are ill-informed about the privacy
issues surrounding social media, much less how to
guard against them.

The good news is that for those of us who want to protect our privacy and still enjoy the benefits of
social media, there are some simple precautions we can take to make sure our identity is protected. It
doesn’t even require that much time or work on your part.

Keep in mind that by simply setting up a social media account, you’re opening up at least part of yourself
to the general online community. Even a simple Google search can now turn up a web page with your
name on it, so right away, we should be prepared to acknowledge that that we’re abnegating at least a
small amount of privacy.

However, making sure identity thieves won’t find those pages the least bit useful is actually pretty
straightforward.

Here’s where to start:

1. Avoid posting a full birth date -- A full birth date by itself isn’t useful to an identity thief, but it is a
piece of the puzzle, especially if they already have your full name.

Display your birthday just by using the month and day. Most people will go this route simply to make
sure that friends and family can’t calculate their age. There are enough people out there with full
birthdays posted, therefore, making them easier targets for identity thieves. Keep your full birth date
hidden to avoid giving them more information that they can use to their advantage.

2. Avoid specific vacation plans -- Not only can identity thieves take advantage of this, but burglars will
actually hire informants to tell them when people are going on vacation. These can just be average
people looking in the community: hairdressers, clerks, waiters or waitresses.

93 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – August 2013 Edition
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