Identity thieves target Myspace and Facebook.

Posted in 'Identity Theft' by Richard Catlin

02 August 2007

Using social networking sites could place you at an increased risk of falling victim to identity theft. Typically MySpace, Bebo, Facebook, Faceparty, Friendster, Evite, Tagworld and YouTube are quoted as being where the risks are, mostly because these sites have surged in popularity recently.
But less high profile and apparently benign websites are far more likely to be trawled by identity thieves. Consumer facing websites such as FriendsReunited and WAYN and business networking sites such as LinkedIn and ecademy each contains a wealth of personal information that is presented in a more user-friendly format from a criminal’s point of view.
Armed with just a few personal details that are listed with personal profiles on these sites, criminals may well have enough information to steal an identity.
Many users freely list vital details including their date of birth, where they grew up and where they currently live. With just a small amount of further digging and entirely lawfully, an identity thief could obtain a copy of your birth certificate directly from a government website for just over a tenner.
From this, and possibly being able to find your full home address simply by looking on local phone or electoral register, the possibility of obtaining credit in your name is a much more realistic threat.
Tips to help protect yourself if you use these sites: you should use a nickname or different spelling of your name, use a completely different date of birth at least 3 months different to your real one (not just a day or so out as some commentators have recently advised) and in every case, always cite consistently an incorrect current location.
We also believe that the risks of using FriendsReunited far outweigh the benefits – you can unsubscribe by following the links to the privacy policy found at the foot of the homepage, clicking on the link on point 5, signing on, downloading the form and sending it to the website by post (not by fax to the premium rate number given).
This advice is taken from the 2007 edition of our industry acclaimed publication Identity Theft – Prevention and Victim Assistance. This includes information on how to stay protected, or if you have been unlucky enough to fall victim, what you need to do.
It also includes specialist advice on how to reduce the risks of credit card skimming and other identity frauds if you are going abroad on holiday this year.
As a special offer to existing checkmyfile users, this is available to buy for just £4.99 including postage and packing– a £4 saving on the cover price. Click here to order you copy now.