'Catch Me If You Can' Con Artist Shares Identity Theft Risks From Facebook
- 11 years ago
Expert identity theft risks on Facebook.
Want to get your identity stolen? Put your date and place of birth on your Facebook profile.
According Frank Abagnale, that’s 98 percent of the information cyber-thieves need. When it comes to the confidence game, he should know. He was the inspiration for the Spielberg film Catch Me if You Can.
Abagnale also warns that giving a virtual thumbs-up can give away personal information. He says, "Every time you say you 'like' or 'don't like' you are telling someone your sexual orientation, ethnic background, voting record.”
While he has abandoned his life of crime and paid back everything he stole, there are plenty of other predators still out there.
They might even be your friends.
Building on the principles behind Affinity Fraud, a practice that historically involves a crook physically infiltrating a tight-knit and trusting group, a new breed of criminal is gaining entry via Facebook.
How? The easy way - by claiming to be long-lost friends or posing as friends of friends.
With a little observational research and a few calculated posts social network bandits can cultivate potential marks – typically for an investment fraud - in no time.
Want to get your identity stolen? Put your date and place of birth on your Facebook profile.
According Frank Abagnale, that’s 98 percent of the information cyber-thieves need. When it comes to the confidence game, he should know. He was the inspiration for the Spielberg film Catch Me if You Can.
Abagnale also warns that giving a virtual thumbs-up can give away personal information. He says, "Every time you say you 'like' or 'don't like' you are telling someone your sexual orientation, ethnic background, voting record.”
While he has abandoned his life of crime and paid back everything he stole, there are plenty of other predators still out there.
They might even be your friends.
Building on the principles behind Affinity Fraud, a practice that historically involves a crook physically infiltrating a tight-knit and trusting group, a new breed of criminal is gaining entry via Facebook.
How? The easy way - by claiming to be long-lost friends or posing as friends of friends.
With a little observational research and a few calculated posts social network bandits can cultivate potential marks – typically for an investment fraud - in no time.