Is Social Media Exposing You!

Last month we talked about Phishing Scams.  Those are tactics identity thieves employ to get your personal identifying information so they can use it to set up credit card accounts, create loans, file for your tax refund, get a job using your social security number, use your insurance for their surgical procedure, etc.  That’s scary stuff, right?  
Phishing is bad, but are you GIVING personal information away through your Social Media accounts?  Yikes!  
Social networking sites are widely used, and there is plenty of controversy regarding privacy or the lack of privacy.  The arguments involving social networking and how the websites use information shared online are big news. 
Here are a few Social Networking Tips to reduce your risk of identity theft.

  • You don’t have to fill in every blank in the profile just because the blank exists.  Sharing too much can increase your risk of falling victim to identity theft.  If you are using the site to reconnect with friends or family, you will have to put a certain amount of information on the site so a long-lost someone can find you, but do so sparingly.  If you are using a social networking site to interact only with certain people and aren’t interested in being “found,” don’t include information like location, previous names, etc. 
  • Remember it’s called “networking” and that means it’s inherently NOT private.  Don’t say things via a social networking site that you wouldn’t say openly in public. 
  • Thoroughly explore the privacy settings and use them to control who gets to see the information you post on the site.  Check the settings periodically as they can be inadvertently reset by site administrators if there is a change to the website. 
  • Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the “nothing to hide” argument.  Unfortunately, privacy in the digital age has little to do with hiding facts and more to do with protecting your information.  Sometimes people don’t realize that seemingly innocuous bits of information can be combined by a perpetrator of identity theft to commit a variety of fraudulent acts, such as taking over an existing credit card or bank account, hijacking your social networking or email account, opening new accounts and acquiring debts, or committing crime under the guise of your personal identity. 

You hold the primary responsibility for protecting your own information.  The best way to protect it is not to post sensitive personal information and control who has access to what you do post to the extent that you can.
Remember, anytime you see suspicious activity, and you aren’t sure what you should do, contact your Identity Theft Protection Investigators. They can help you identify a scam and offer advice for other steps you can take to help protect your personal information and your identity.
If you don’t have Identity Theft Protection, get more information from: 

Mary Fritsch-Derrick

IDShield Independent Associate

805-551-8083

https://mfderrick.wearelegalshield.com

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