Have you ever thought about how much information is requested when you sign up for a social media page? Most sites ask for your birthday information, ask for permission to track your location or post your location, your place of employment and more personal information that from a security standpoint you really should not be sharing.
Don’t feel bad for over sharing, the social media culture hasplayed on our emotions to solicit information we normally would not share to “win” that free lunch, deep discount orshare our anniversaries or personal moments and achievements that we have experienced with our family members, friends or co workers!
Most of the social media websites ask for your birthday so that they can send an announcement on your behalf or for other special occasions that you have good memories of and want to share with your social media sphere of influence!
How about your social media data base “friends” that post vacation pics during their vacation or alert everyone in their sphere of influence that they are planning an upcoming trip? C’mon you know who you are!
Would you post a sign in front of your residence that you are out of town and how long you will be gone?
Many websites offer coupons or a chance to enter for a “free” giveaway.
So next time before pressing “send” asks yourself, how safe is my information to enter this contest or get a “free promotion” on line? Who will see my information?
Keep mind that these “free” sites are phishing for information and more than likely reselling as part of their revenue stream, but keep in mind that criminals are also trolling these same sites for information to steal your identity and pose as you for various criminal activities.
There are many types of Identity Theft, and it’s not just Financial Identity Theft anymore. Sophisticated thieves have moved into Employment and Character Identity Theft.
You have probably been told by someone in your formative years “that you can be anyone you want to be”. Nowadays that is called Identity Theft!
Every 79 seconds a thief steals someone’s identity. The FTC estimates it takes 200 hours and thousands of dollars to clear identity theft from a person’s record.
For more information on how to protect your identity, or if you have been a victim of Identity Theft, go to the Women’s Money® website:
www.womensmoney.com and order “10 Days to Fix Identity Theft”
A guide written by a Legal Consultant explaining the laws and providing the same letters used by Consumer Credit Law Firms.
By Julie Macc, Certified Credit and Identity Theft Specialist
