Sun Sentinel Columnist
September 17, 2010
In recent weeks my Twitter and FaceBook family and friends have innocently - but dangerously - broadcasted online personal information helpful to robbers and other bad guys who may be following them online. They may as well invite thieves over and leave the door unlocked.
Some used Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets to share special moments as they happened while on vacation, photos of their children doing this or that, and even details about their jobs or workplace.
All interesting stuff, especially to savvy tech thieves who increasingly take advantage of real-time information posted by those who use social networks. When you share a vacation photo, you're also sharing the fact you are not at home at the moment and won't be for a while.
Police in Nashua, N.H., this month arrested a small gang of robbers allegedly using Facebook to monitor victims' Facebook pages to determine when they would be away from home. Last September Boynton Beach police arrested two people after they allegedly used MySpace to lure their victim on a date then stole his wallet at gunpoint.
Bottom-line: Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are great for staying connected to family and friends, but you must be as careful as you would be on a phone call with a friend knowing strangers are listening too.
Here are ways to post, update and tweet as safely as can be:
Do not post vacation details. Avoid mentioning where you are going and for how long, and be mindful of photos or posts that tip off the fact you are away from home at that very moment. Tell everyone how great DisneyWorld was when you return.
Never post your home address or phone number. Do not include that information in personal profiles or in quick messages about an upcoming party at your home. Avoid sharing photos of your children as tempting as it may be. Set privacy setting so that only those you trust most can view pictures of your child.
Avoid posts while at work. Besides avoiding trouble with the boss, mentioning you are sitting in on the most boring meeting of your life also means you, again, are not at home.
Do not have private conversations on Twitter or Facebook. Again, it's like talking on an open phone line.
Don't allow location-based software like Foursquare and Google Places to post your whereabouts automatically on Facebook. And again be mindful of Tweets that allow viewers to read between the lines and figure out your physical whereabouts. A relative recently posted Facebook status updates about a scuba diving trip while it was happening. As tempting as that is, that kind of information is a tip-off to robbers.
Be careful about who you agree to meet in person. Social networks are fine for meeting new people, but you want to make sure you set up meetings in safe, public places. And let someone you trust know about the meeting, who you are meeting, where and when.
Daniel Vasquez can be reached at dvasquez@sunsentinel.com, or 954-356-4219, or 561-243-6600, ext. 4219. To see more columns from Daniel Vasquez, go to sunsentinel.com/vasquez.
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