Milenia

Facebook is an amazing social media tool with millions of users worldwide. You can do everything from keep up with your family to water your friends’ crops in Farmville, but is Facebook safe to use? There are many ways that criminals can use your Facebook to target you, and some of them might surprise you!

First of all, many people do not realize how easy it is to get information about someone on Facebook, even though your privacy is supposed to be protected. Not only can people see your full name, but anything you post is also visible – your telephone number, pets’ names, pictures of your home, even your address. This can lead to a number of problems for you.

Identity theft is a big problem that Facebook users can fall victim to if they give out too much information. If you use your cats’ name as a password, for example, then someone who knows that name because of your Facebook might be able to guess it. Sensitive information that banks and other institutions often use as security questions, such as the high school you went to or your mother’s maiden name, is also the kind of information that you might share on Facebook. Once someone has access to your e-mail account, they can access most of your other accounts online – including your bank information and your PayPal account.

But identity theft and cyber crimes are not the only things you need to worry about with Facebook. Have you ever posted a status update that you’re going on vacation soon? This is a very bad idea because criminals will take this as an open invitation – you might as well be saying “no one will be at my house this weekend, please come rob it”!

Facebook is a powerful and useful social tool for keeping in touch with everyone, but it needs to be used carefully. Never post details about your schedule, like when you might be going out of town, and never post anything that you wouldn’t want a complete stranger to know. The rule of thumb on social networking sites should always be “better safe than sorry”!