Social networking sites increasingly targeted by identity thieves

Not content with merely scrounging around in people’s garbage bins for crumpled bank statements and Visa bills, identity thieves are apparently now craning their collective vulture-like necks in the direction of social networking sites.

More pointedly, a related study conducted by online identity consultants Garlik has revealed that more than 33 percent of Internet users in the UK post sensitive personal details on social networking Web sites. This information is being gathered by ID thieves trawling the social network and consequently places the user at considerable financial risk.

In terms of the amount of online information an ID thief actually requires before they can assume someone’s identity to apply for loans and obtain credit cards, it is apparently possible to draw enough from only the bare minimum of personal details. Beyond the criminal attraction of ID theft, some online Web users are actually falling foul of physical burglary after posting both their home address and holiday details on social networking pages.

From a vulnerability standpoint, the likes of MySpace, Bebo and Facebook are believed to be popular haunts for ID thieves. Facebook, which is second only to MySpace, sees many users posting sensitive information including date of birth, phone number, and actual home address directly on their profiles – even though Facebook gives its users absolute control over what does and does not appear live on-site.

While a Facebook representative insisted that Facebook users were encouraged to use the privacy settings open to them via their profiles, a MySpace spokesman merely warned that MySpace exists as "a public space" and that "people should not post anything they do not want the whole world to know."

Source: M&CTech