Featured Article | A Pothole in Your Pathway: Pieces of Information

Published on October 26, 2017 by admin in Blog, Newsletter

Featured Article | A Pothole in Your Pathway: Pieces of Information

Think About It: What types of personal information do you share in your social media profile and posts? Have you ever shared your phone number?

Consider the type of information that is stored inside of your account: your name, your date of birth and your e-mail address. If your account’s security is breached, the hacker can gain access to this information.

Tip: Consider using a nickname and making your birthday private.

Research has shown that teens are more comfortable with sharing their personal information on social media than ever before (Pew, 2013). But did you know that sharing information about yourself on your favorite social networks can also lead to identity theft? Social networks are global platforms, and pieces of personal information on your Instagram, Facebook, and other accounts that can make you an easy target; information such as your full name, birthday, and hometown (Lewis, nd). Did you know that three pieces of personal information are sufficient to commit identity theft? Depending on the uniqueness of your name, many people might have the same first and last name as you, yet by combining other identifiers, a criminal can narrow the search for your ID. In this case, an identity thief can pair your name up with your birthday; one day out of 365 ¼ days in the year. Additional pieces of information such as e-mail address, hometown, phone number serve to isolate your ID when linked together. Some social media users share this information on their public profile while others only share these types of identifying information with the social media service when creating their accounts. Consider how much information you share on your social media profile and in your posts. Are you aiding in your own identity theft by giving away pieces of your information?

Think that identity theft is just for “old folk?” Think again. Discover why teens are prime targets for this online crime.
Go to Article → Featured Article | A Pothole in Your Pathway: Teen Identity Theft

Find out how your online actions can allow a devious individual to access your account as easily as saying “Open Sesame.”
Go to Article → Featured Article | A Pothole in Your Pathway: Open Sesame

Whether you are shopping online or interacting with friends on social networks, you hold the key to protecting your identity. Take note of these Social Media Privacy Pointers.
Go to Article → Featured Article | A Pothole in Your Pathway: Social Media Privacy Pointers

Follow these 8 tips to prevent identity theft, and then share them on social media!
Go to Article → iDrive Agent: 8 Tips to Prevent Identity Theft on Social Media

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