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Is Your Identity Safe On Social Media?

According to recent figures from fraud prevention company Cifas, the number of people that are being hit with identity theft has increased by 57% in 2015.

Last year, more than 148,000 people were affected by identity fraud in the UK, compared to 94,500 the previous year.

The research, which took into account data from 261 UK companies, found that more and more fraudsters are using social media to target victims.

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have become a “hunting ground” for these types of criminals, the fraud prevention firm have said.

After gaining access to social media profiles, these criminals can find out and steal personal information like names, date of births and addresses, as well as bank details if they are linked up to your account.

In many cases, the victim won’t actually find out that they have been the subject of fraud until they receive the bill or are alerted by their bank; which is far too late!

Experts suggest that you take steps to secure your account by altering your privacy settings and only adding essential information, if you want to avoid identity fraud in the future.

Get Safe Online, a company which provides information to the public about online safety, have urged social media users not to publish their phone numbers, addresses or pictures of their home or workplace on these sites.

With billions of people using social media each day, be it for personal or business reasons, safety on the sites has never been so important. By ensuring that you only connect with people you know and never give out private information, you can protect yourself from being vulnerable identity theft.

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