From: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20101020-298815/Crooks-use-Facebook-to-look-for-preys-police-warn
MANILA, Philippines—While police search Facebook to hunt down crooks, criminals too have found the socialnetworking site an easy venue to scour for preys.
Cyber-attacks range from identity theft to kidnapping, and even rape.
With the Philippines ranking 8th in world in Facebook use, the Philippine National Police issued safety reminders to Facebook users.
• Hide yourself from Facebook search result
Police said setting one’s account so that it is not publicly visible will help protect Facebook user from cyber harassment and security threats.
“If you do not want others to find you, change your username into your middle name if you are married. You may also go to privacy settings and click the view setting from ‘everyone’ to ‘friends’ or select ‘customize’ to make your settings even more private,” the PNP said.
The PNP added that users should only add people that they know and refrain from adding strangers.
• Limit your Personal Information
This will protect users from crimes such as stalking, kidnapping, and harassment. Police have advised users that personal information should only be made available to friends and those you know.
Facebook users should not provide the year and place they were born “because you have just given the identity thieves a key in stealing your financial life, police said. A study showed that the date and place of birth could be used to predict most and sometimes all of the numbers and passwords you are using.”
Users are also advised not to post their mobile phone numbers, landline numbers and home address.
Photo albums should be set to private and users are asked to avoid posting pornographic photos and videos.
• Avoid chatting to people you don’t know
This may cause sexual or cyber harassment. The PNP said, “Chat or talk only to those whom you really know. Change the topic if you sense something unusual or better yet, try not to chat with the person anymore.”
When joining groups, users are advised to be wary of “spam” accounts as this may expose one’s personal data to the public. .
When using applications like Farmville, users should also be wary and not divulge any personal information such as bank accounts.
• Never forget to “Sign Out”
“Otherwise, your account will be lost and you will not be able to open it because the password has been changed already. And it will be used for some purposes beyond your control,” the PNP said.
“Facebook is a tool used for good and bad reasons. Like a gun, it is used for good and bad purposes,” the PNP stressed.
Users who are being harassed via Facebook are advised to immediately report the incident to police.
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