{"id":6512,"date":"2016-12-20T10:24:17","date_gmt":"2016-12-20T10:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatmate.com\/blog\/?p=6512"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:36:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T12:36:59","slug":"protecting-yourself-facebook-identy-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatmate.com\/blog\/protecting-yourself-facebook-identy-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"11 ways to protect yourself against Facebook scams"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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While we all love Facebook and everything it brings to our lives, we can be dangerously na\u00efve in the way we use it.<\/strong><\/h3>

Facebook is fab. The opportunity it creates to connect, promote, sell, exchange and share things is priceless. And because of its fabness, it has well over a billion monthly active users worldwide.<\/p>

However\u2026 where there is good, there is always evil.<\/p>

Also: 8 WAYS TO AVOID RENTAL SCAMS<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>

And it isn\u2019t limited to Facebook. Social media sites in general have become hunting grounds for fraudsters searching for any opportunity to scam you or steal your identity. In Australia, the stats for identity theft are high. 1 in 5 people<\/a> have had their personal information misused (with money being stolen ranging from just a few dollars to a whopping $310k). And in the UK, 2015 figures<\/a> show a 52% rise in young identity fraud victims. The thing is, people often don\u2019t realise there\u2019s a problem until they receive a bill in their name for something they didn\u2019t buy or they have problems with their credit rating.<\/p>

According to Identity Crime Expert, Dr Clare Sullivan, speaking with News.com.au,<\/p>

\u201cPeople put everything out there on social media. All you need [to steal someone\u2019s identity] is their full name, their date of birth, sometimes their place of birth and an account number. With that information all over the internet then it\u2019s very easy to piece together.\u201d <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>

\"Facebook
Intrusive Content<\/figcaption><\/figure>

To add to the problem, there\u2019s a trend emerging with people using public Facebook community groups to find flatmates and post accommodation ads. But unlike the\u00a0flatmate.com<\/a><\/strong> platform where your personal information is secure and protected, the info shared in these public groups is available for all to see. And some of the things being shared is concerning.<\/p>

[Tweet “Sometimes, people seeking house sitters post their holiday dates alongside their address details. And very quickly, eager scammers have an opportunity to gain access to an empty home and all the possessions within it\u2026”]<\/p>

The other problem with these public groups is that anyone is able to post content and so they\u2019re frequently bombarded with offensive posts and spamming. While administrators can block a person, it doesn\u2019t actually stop the spamming, it just prevents further users from seeing the content. Often, the damage is already done with many people having been subjected to malicious links or intrusive content.<\/p>

Through your Facebook profile alone, fraudsters can learn your name, date of birth, location, employment, friends, contact details and – on a deeper level – your interests and hobbies. With this level of information, they can build convincing email or impersonation scams tailored especially to you.<\/p>

And you\u2019re far more likely to respond to an email you think<\/em> is coming from a group you belong to or a person you know.<\/p>

It\u2019s surprising how liberal people are with their personal information when the threat of online scams and identity fraud is so widespread.<\/p>

What can a criminal do with your information?<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Too
Sharing sensitive information<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Honestly, the world is their oyster. They can use your name to:<\/p>