New Seventh Haven for Identity Thieves: Social Networking Sites.

Social Networking Sites are modern great opportunity to meet people worldwide. What’s social networking site? Oh, come on, don’t say you don’t know at least one of those sites, like MySpace.com, Tagged.com or Facebook.com. What does it have to do with ID thefts and so with financial situation? This article will show you, it does !

Private information’s safety paradox.

Most people prove great caution and wisdom, when it comes to revealing personal information in a public place and surfing or shopping online. People use smart passwords and takes every precaution to protect her financial information when shopping and banking online. But how is it possible that even those who would never open links from spam e-mails or respond to pop-ups, let their shield down when they log into social networking sites. Millions of MySpace.com’ users don't think twice before posting all kinds of intimate information on their profile or in private messages. Social networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com encourage members to meet new people, connect with others on both a personal and business level, interact in online communities, share pictures and other information. But in the same time, expose users to identity thieves and other cybercriminals.

How can bad people be harmful to you.

People, who may have bad intentions, can get from you information they need in many ways. And they are surprisingly often successful. National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) claims 83 percent of social networking sites’ users download unknown files from other people's profiles. This occurs to be an action that could lead to identity theft, computer spyware, viruses and other risks.
74 percent of social networking users give gladly their e-mail address, name and birthday. How does it happen, they give such potentially harmful information, will you ask? Cybercriminals may pose one of your friends and create messages designed to trick you into revealing more personal data, such as your phone number or even credit card number. It’s called “phishing”.

This could be even a link to a photo, or photo with link, which people click without hesitation. Once it’s clicked, you’re directed to a site that ask for logon information and email address. Provide this information, and the phisher could have gained access to all kinds of information from your MySpace.com account… and even post his links or tricked mails to your friends, using your mail, or nick. This can be harmful for both you and your friends, if you shared information about your home, hobbies, interests, and friends. The cybercriminal may impersonate a trusted friend or convince, that he’s got the authority to request personal or financial data.

If a malicious person obtains your social security number, name and birthday, he or she may have enough information to hack into your financial records and compromise your personal information.

Here are a few simple rules to follow in order to minimize the risk of becoming victim when socializing online:

• Protect your personal information.

Avoid posting your full name, financial data, social security number, street address, birth date, and phone number.

• Be proactive to frustrate identity thieves.

Use very helpful tools, offered at the three major credit bureaus: "Credit Freeze" or "Fraud Alert". This can help you avoid identity theft. You can also conduct a free search on StolenID. Search to see if your data has been compromised.

• Beware of scammers.

Cybercriminals look for victims for customized scams, like phony lotteries or illegitimate business opportunities or even faked high school reunions.
Consider setting your profile to private to prevent uninvited members from viewing your personal information.

• Exercise caution when clicking on links or downloading files.

Think twice before you click a link. It may lead you to infected ads. Avoid opening links or downloading files from strangers. Never enter your password or account number unless you've verified the site's authenticity. Having doubts, you can always call the site owner to confirm.

• Social networking sites give us great modern opportunities to enlarge a circle of friends, share experience and passion, or even to find mates. But with these opportunity comes a risk. Remember to exercise caution to avoid the costly risks.