Information that you share on social media is a goldmine for fraudsters

Beware what you share

Real-life Twitter account @NeedADebitCard retweets photos of Twitter users who, accidentally or without thinking, post images of their debit and credit cards as a warning to others. The caption on this image (which we’ve blurred out) reads: ‘My new credit card came in yay! And the security code is just like my birthday, 527’.

Do you know what you’re revealing on social media?Imagine a stranger came up to you in the street and told you that you woke up late and had to skip breakfast because you needed to go and book flights for your holiday to Portugal in June. Then you called in to see your friend in West London and play with her new kitten, before heading to your local for a few drinks and some tapas with your brother to celebrate his new job.

A psychic? A stalker? Or just someone who follows you on Twitter?

Your social media profiles can make you a target. Just a single piece of personal information, such as your date of birth, can be used to commit fraud in your name. So imagine what a fraudster can do with a lot of personal information: hack your emails, empty your bank account, impersonate someone close to you, even steal your entire identity. Being a victim of fraud can cause you a lot of inconvenience and distress, and - in some cases - even put you in personal danger.

You don’t have to be rich or famous to be a victim of fraud.Fraudsters target anyone and everyone. And because young people use social media more than any other demographic group and are often very comfortable with sharing personal information online, their chances of becoming a victim can be high.

Protect yourself.Look opposite to see how a fraudster sees your social media profile. We’ve used Facebook and Twitter as our main examples, but it’s applicable to other social media platforms, such as Instagram and Whatsapp: in fact, anywhere where you post personal and real-time data information online. By being aware of how your social media accounts can make you vulnerable, you can take steps to protect yourself and reduce your risk of becoming a victim of fraud.

If you have more than one social media account (like many people do) then fraudsters can use the information shared on each one to build a picture of your identity - just like a jigsaw. For example, you might be very careful about not listing your place of work or home town on Facebook, but then you might post a photo of your workplace on Instagram and tweet about ‘going home to Wigan to see the family’ on Twitter.

You might think no-one can be bothered to spend time putting together the pieces. Think again. The gains can be big - for the fraudster, it’s worth the effort.

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Can you see what a fraudster sees?

Do you really know who is messaging you? Fraudsters can use your and your friends’ personal info to gain your trust or pretend to be someone they’re not.

Your status and check-ins can make you vulnerable. Criminals (and not just fraudsters) can discover when you’re away on holiday - or home alone.

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Be careful about accepting friend or follow requests from people you don’t know very well, or even at all. Fraudsters can bypass privacy settings as a ‘friend’.

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By trawling your network of friends and family, fraudsters can uncover useful information - such as your mother’s maiden name, a common security question.

What is CIFAS?

CIFAS is the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service. Find out more at www.cifas.org.uk

You can follow us on Twitter at:@CIFAS_UK for up to date news and advice about fraud prevention.

Adverts can be tailored to target specific groups and anyone can set them up. Be careful of online scams and fake websites, and make sure the advertiser or offer is legitimate. Viral videos can also be fake - installing malware or viruses on your computer.

6What are your privacy and security settings? Who can see what you share? How often do you change your password? Don’t rely on default settings; set them yourself.

Stay safe. Beware what you share.

What you ‘like’ or follow tells the fraudster a lot. For example, if you like certain shops, they know that you are likely to have online shopping accounts - possibly with stored credit card details. Or they can send you fake phishing emails pretending to be from your ‘liked’ brands, knowing you are more likely to open them.

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Saying where you are from can also be your place of birth - another common security question. Similarly, listing things like where you studied, your complete date of birth and your relationship status can all be used by the fraudster to build a complete picture of your identity - that they can then steal.

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