Protect Yourself From Identity Theft When Online Social-Networking

If you’re a fan of Facebook, and an active user of the social-networking site, then you might be at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. A story by the Miami Herald detailed all the ingenious ways that cyber criminals can steal your identity by using Facebook as the bait. The Herald story cites this popular scam: You’ll find a message in your Facebook inbox from either someone you don’t recognize or someone you rarely talk to. The subject line might be something like, “Is this you in this video?” When you open the message, you’ll find a link to a Web site. If you click on it, your computer will download a program that collects your personal information and then sends it across the Internet, where cyber criminals will happily collect it.

Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft

As social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have exploded in popularity, the risk of identity theft has skyrocketed. But social networkers can take steps to protect themselves. And most of these require little more than common sense. For instance, if you get an e-mail message in your Facebook inbox from someone you don’t recognize, delete it without opening it. If your curiosity gets the better of you and you can’t resist clicking open the message, don’t click on any links in the message. These links often lead to programs that will download your personal information. Be wary, too, of invitations to Facebook events from people you don’t recognize. Often these fake invites will take you to Web pages that look like Facebook events, but are actually Web sites that download malicious software onto your computer.

Be Vigilant

We do not live in a perfect world. The rise of the Internet was sure to spawn a rise in a new class of criminals. Because of this, frequent computer users must be constantly on the watch for signs of identity theft. If you notice any unusual transactions on your credit-card accounts, make sure to call your credit-card company. A cyber criminal might have stolen your credit information to make purchases with your card. If you notice that your computer has slowed down significantly, be cautious: You might have accidentally downloaded software that is collecting your personal information.

Only Open Trusted E-Mail Messages

Identity theft is a reality. But you can protect yourself by using the Internet wisely. Danger doesn’t only lurk at social-networking sites. Refrain from opening e-mail messages from people you don’t know. And never click on any links embedded in them if you’re not absolutely sure that they are authentic. You can outwit identity thieves. You just have to use common sense.

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