Fraudsters hacking into Facebook and stealing the identity of individuals to con family and friends into sending funds because they believe they are in trouble isn't the only risk of the facebook fakers, says leading identity fraud expert,
Equifax.
According to
Equifax, there are been several cases reported of fraudsters hacking into Facebook accounts to find the details of the user's family and friends. They then send a message via Facebook, apparently from the individual, saying they are in financial difficulty and asking for financial help.
This has already caught out several individuals who have sent hundreds of pounds only to discover this money has ended up in the hands of the fraudsters.
“But what worries us more is the fact that these hackers also have access to the personal details of hundreds of friends - opening up an even greater opportunity to steal their identities for illegal gain,” said Neil Munroe, External Affairs Director,
Equifax.
"Whilst users may feel they can trust all of their friends on their social networking sites with personal information about themselves, if any of their friends' accounts get hacked into, this personal information can quickly be accessed and used by fraudsters to steal their identity and open accounts in their name."
Equifax recently commissioned research to look at the type and amount of information given out on Facebook.
The research revealed that, of 173 Facebook friends for one person, 62 per cent provided their full date of birth on their profile; over three quarters provided a personal email address and nearly a third provided the name of their employer - with some also putting their mobile numbers on their profile.
Equifax also recommends that consumers regularly monitor their credit report to be able to identify if any unauthorised activity occurs that might be signs of a fraudster at work.
"Although Facebook users may argue that they are only making this information accessible to their friends, what they need to remember is that this data will be immediately available to anyone who gains access to their friends' accounts," continued Neil Munroe.
"Facebook is now the second most targeted phishing site and by providing email addresses and mobile numbers they are making themselves particularly vulnerable to phishing scams if these get into the wrong hands."
"From our research it seems that Facebook users can be very trusting and tend to share the same personal information with people they have met once, known for two months or 12 years. We think Facebook users need to be more mindful about the range of people who could be viewing their personal information.
"We urge social networkers to ensure that they have tight control on not only who views their personal information by using the privacy settings available but also reduce the information they are giving out in the first place to avoid becoming a victim of a fraudster."
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