Are You a Target for Social Networking Identity Theft?

Socialnetworking. Most of us do it. For some of us it’s an addiction. Butit can be dangerous. Socialnetworking identity theft is on the rise as more and more identity thieves adapt to thisincreasingly easy way to steal your identity. Once they have youridentity, the sky’s the limit. They can drain your bank account,run up your credit, and virtually destroy you financially. And it allstarts with some “innocent” communication online. SocialNetworking Identity Theft: The Statistics Thesocial networking identity theft statistics are in, and they aren’tpretty. According to PCWorld , one third ofmembers of social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,and MySpace have at least three pieces of personal information postedon their profile that can make stealing their identity easy foridentity thieves. These include full names, birth dates, addresses,phone numbers, names of parents, and names of children. When piecedtogether, this information makes social networking identity theft aseasy as creating a fake profile on one of these sites. Althoughnearly 80% of people in the PCWorld poll said they wereconcerned about their privacy on social networking sites, about 60%said they had no idea what their privacy settings were and who couldsee their personal information on those sites. Scarystatistics? Yes. A playground for social networking identity theft?You bet. SocialNetworking Identity Theft: Prevention Tips Followthese tips to avoid becoming a victim of social networking identitytheft: Personal Information: How much do you want the world to know about you? Remember: Your friends aren’t just finding you on Facebook. Social networking identity theft scammers may be seeking you out as well. Keep your personal information safe by not posting your full name, birthday, address, phone number, and other private information that could be used to find you. Don't even think about posting seemingly harmless information like when you’ll be out of town or when you’re at the gym. A growing social networking identity theft tactic is to identify when you’re gone and then pounce to break-in and rob your home. Sound crazy? It happens all the time. Think before you tweet “Going on vacation for a week.” Learn the Rules: All social networking sites are different and they all have their own rules. Social networking identity theft scammers take advantage of this vulnerability and prey on you before you even know what happened. They know the faster they get to you, the faster they can rob you. Before you register with a site, read the privacy policy and terms of use to avoid becoming another victim of social networking identity theft. Restrict Access: You’re in control. Always remember that. You don’t have to share everything to the world. Most social networking sites allow you to restrict access to your page so only “real friends” can keep up with you. Steer clear of social networking identity theft by only allowing people you actually know (not even friends of friends who could be posing as identity thieves) to be friends and follow you. Google Alerts: This is free and easy. Just setup a free Google Alerts notification for your full name. You’ll get an email every time your name shows up in a search online. This helps prevent social networking identity theft because you can see where, how, and why your name is being searched for online. If it looks suspicious, such as someone pretending to be you, you can take immediate action. Post for Posterity: Everything you post online “lives” forever. Even if you think you’ve deleted information from a site it exists on people’s computers that they can then use for social networking identity theft—even years after you posted it! SocialNetworking Identity Theft: Protect Yourself! The moral of the story? Have fun on social networks, but be cautious. You never know who may want to be your “friend.” If you want to learn more about fool-proof ways to prevent social networking identity theft, contact The Identity Advocate at 310.831.4400 or email info@theidentityadvocate.com. Visit The Identity Advocate online at www.TheIdentityAdvocate.com .

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