Sharing online can make you a victim of crime

We take all sorts of security precautions; locks, alarms, CCTV, employing security guards, but many of us forget that what we say online can leave us open to crime.

Posting on social media is second nature to many these days and we update our status’ regularly with every detail of our lives.  Privacy online has been discussed a lot in the news recently with the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, and still many people don’t realise what information they’re giving out to potential thieves.  It is worth checking your Facebook privacy settings, but also think about what you’re posting online and how this information can be used.

Profile information
Your name, birthday, spouse, town or city you live in, where you were born; all kinds of information which can be used to steal your identity is available in just this small section.  If your posts and those mentioning you are open to all, it’s just a matter of time for someone to gather enough information.

Posting locations
Tagging your location, checking-in or even informing your friends you’re going on holiday (or are already away) tells anyone who’s interested where you are.  Or where you are not – if you’re not at home, there’s an empty house while you’re on holiday …..

You might think you’re being careful in only sharing information with your friends, but have you ever accepted a friend request from someone you don’t actually know (in real life)?

Information available from your photos
You might not tell people where you live or that you’re on holiday, but for those who want to, they can find all sorts of information from your photos.  There have been occasions where people have posted photos of themselves when they’ve left bank cards, letters or other personal information lying around.

Smartphones record data about when and where a photo was taken (geotagging), and everyone uses smartphones to take the pictures they post online.  Some social media sites remove this information but on those that don’t it can be easily accessed by a thief, allowing them to quickly work out your address from any photos you’ve posted taken at home.  You can disable the location settings on your phone to prevent any data being recorded when you take photos.

Reverse image search
It’s really easy to do a reverse image search online, finding out where the same and similar images can be found.  This can be useful but can also be used against you.  If you post photos in more than one place (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest) a reverse image search can allow someone to track all your accounts and gather information from each.