Can Personal Blogs Result in Identity Theft?
What You Should Know About Blogs and Identity Theft
It's no secret we love blogs -- after all, you're reading one of our favorite right now. But are the very blogs that have become a way of online life an identity theft threat? The answers may surprise you.
Are Personal Blogs an Identity Theft Disaster Waiting to Happen?
Blogs are all about sharing information, right? But it's how much information you share that you need to be careful about. After all, sharing the wrong information can put you at risk of identity theft.
Jess and I have reviewed many blogs over the past few days, thinking about it from an identity theft perspective, and did you know many people have no qualms about their blog profiles listing their names, cities of residence and even their birth dates? Stuff that an identity theft crook would love to get a hold of.
You Never Know Who's Looking
Many people who have personal blogs think only family and friends are looking at it. Unless you make your blog private and password-protect it, anyone can see it and your information is ripe for the picking. Identity theft crooks count on that sense of false security. They're just waiting for you to make a mistake.
Protecting Yourself
If you want to protect yourself from identity theft and you want to be sure your blog isn't putting you at risk, don't ever post your birth date and don't disclose where you live. Yes, you can give a general idea of your location, but exact addresses (or even cities) aren't a good idea.
Remember, your personal information is the one thing an identity theft criminal needs to make you their next victim. You need to keep that information out of their hands -- both online and off.