It can be tempting to brand details of our lives on social media and message boards , but some things are well left unshared . If sure pieces of in person identifiable information terminate up in the wrong workforce , you could come down victim to identity element theft , phishing , or other types of pseudo . By some approximation , nearly 9 million Americans have their personal identity stolen each year . Here are seven things you should keep off of social medium to better protect your money , privacy , and identity , convey to you by Mental Floss and Discover .
1. Your phone number
By using reverse lookup services , hackers can plug in your phone turn and get ahold of something even more valuable : your address . It ’s one of the cardinal piece of the puzzle that can be used to compromise your identity .
2. Your home address
Not only does posting your savoir-faire on social medium open you up to robber , it also increases your peril of identity thievery . Once someone has your full name and address , they can search dissimilar database and find extra entropy about your telephone set number , employment history , marriage and divorce records , and more . With enough info , they can give up a credit card in your name or slip money from your existing invoice .
3. Pictures of your passport or driver’s license
It can be fun to show off your newfangled passport or driver ’s licence photo , but doing so online can be dangerous . When you post a pic of your ID on your social media accounts , you could be handing a thief the details they require to slip your individuality .
4. Your hometown and full date of birth
If you list your hometown and natal day on social media , you may need to reckon edit these details , or at the very least , removing your birth year . That ’s because thieves can habituate this info to prognosticate your social protection act . Historically , only four of the digit have been random ; the first three are based on geographical location ( most likely where you were born ) , and the next two are establish on nativity years . With a second of trial and erroneous belief , the computer code can be crack up .
5. Your financial information
Credit and debit card detail are among the more obvious examples of what not to carry online , but you might be storm by what hacker can reach with a little routine of selective information about your personal finances . thing like paycheck , bank building correspondence , and retirement report phone number are items that are substantially kept secret .
6. Answers to your password security questions
You likely wo n’t be posting a darnel sheet of answers to your password “ hint ” question anytime soon , but you may be revealing this information in less obvious ways . If you ’ve ever mentioned your mom ’s maiden name in a Mother ’s Day tribute , posted a cute photo of your first menage pet ( with little Daisy ’s name in the caption ) , or submit a quiz on societal sensitive that asks a short ton of personal questions ( like the name of your first grade teacher or the make of your first car ) , you might be giving out information that can help hackers gain access to your personal accounts .
7. Clubs or other affiliations
The more someone knows about your affiliations and interests , the easier it is to set up a successful phishing cozenage . This could take the form of an email that looks like from an system you offer for , but is actually a grifter attempting to get more personal selective information off of you . To better protect yourself from these type of scams , consider making this info secret on social media .
