More than half of adults 45 and older
who are on social networks like Facebook could be in danger of becoming
victims of identity theft or other crimes because they share too much
private information, according to a study released today.
In one example, the study commissioned by a unit of credit reporting services
firm Experian found that 14 percent of adults - and 20 percent of those age 60
and over - listed their full home addresses in their social media profiles.
If they then post updates from a trip, that tells thieves "no one is
watching your house," said Jennifer Leuer, general manager of Experian's
ProtectMyId.com. "You obviously don't want everybody on the Web to be
able to see that."
The study, which sampled 1,052 men and women age 45 and over, covered
social networks in general and did not focus on the most popular one,
Facebook
However, it comes at a time when the Palo Alto firm as come under
fire for changing its privacy settings to give its 350 million users
more control over who sees their status updates and other information.
Such critics as the Electronic Privacy Information Center say that
changes make some private information even more public than before and
have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate.
The Experian study found that 35 percent of those polled did not
adjust their privacy settings to limit who would view their profiles or
updates, Leuer said.
About half of those polled revealed some family or relationship
information on their pages or played games and answered quizzes without
realizing the potential risks, the study said.
An identity thief could piece together sensitive details, such as a
pet's name, birthplace or school name, that are frequently used as
answers to gain access to a bank account password.
"I don't think we're saying to not talk about family or friends, but
to be careful who you're sharing that with," Leuer said. "You
express what makes you unique on these sites, but it can really be used
to steal your identity as well."
Tips to protecting against fraud:
- Avoid posting personal details such as hometowns or home
addresses, phone numbers, educational background and information
about children in profiles or photo identification.
- Examine and customize your social network's privacy settings.
- Be sure an online quiz or game comes from a reputable source.
- Do not use passwords that incorporate information that is
publicly available.
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