Prudency essential for safe online social networking

The proliferation of online community forums and social networking, blogging and dating sites has opened up endless opportunities to connect with old friends, meet new people and chat to others in the “same boat”.

As good as it sounds, online networking should be undertaken with prudency.

So says Robyn Farrell, managing director of 1st for Women Insurance Brokers.

“The ‘facelessness’ of the internet seems to encourage openness and a willingness to share information that people would ordinarily be more guarded about divulging to someone face to face.

“On the face of it, there’s no harm in it and it can be great fun and even empowering to meet, interact with people from all over the world in the comfort and safety of your own home. But unfortunately, as in the real world, there are weirdos and criminals lurking in cyber space and sharing information, no matter how innocent or useless you think it is, with people you don’t know or posting your personal details online can be dangerous. People need to be aware of the dangers,” says Farrell.

She continues: “Advertising your personal details online can put you at risk of ID fraud, cyber crime and even stalkers. Even innocently participating in online social networking sites means that you leave a trail of personal information that can make stealing your identity a whole lot easier.

“The tiniest tid-bit of information such as your e-mail address can be used by cyber criminals to send emails containing spyware which tracks your internet habits and harvests important information including passwords, credit card details and internet-banking logon details.

“On a less sinister note, your phone number in the wrong hands could mean that you receive more calls from telemarketers and an inbox full of harmless but irritating and irrelevant unsolicited marketing material.

“To protect yourself from these kinds of threats, you should exercise prudency and the same level of caution online that you would in real life. You wouldn’t just walk up to a stranger in the street and handover telephone number and banking details so you shouldn’t do it online or even over email,” advises Farrell.

She offers the following safety tips:

• Never share your ID number, full date of birth, home address, home phone number, cell number, online passwords, banking details or credit card numbers with anyone online. This includes filling out forms on unsecure sites.
• Be cautious about posting information that could be used to identify you or locate you offline such as the company you work for or social/sporting clubs you belong to.
• Look at how each site works before deciding to join. Some sites will only allow a defined community of users to access your profile, photos and postings while others allow everyone and anyone to view your profile. Elect to join sites that offer you the most control over privacy settings and restrict access to your page to a select group of “trusted” contacts only.
• When posting on community forums, use a screen name that doesn’t give away too much about who you are. Don’t use your name, your age or even your hometown.
• Only post information that you are comfortable with others seeing. Remember that many people can see your page /profile including your boss, potential employers, your partner, your friends and the police.
• Remember that once you post information online, you can’t take it back. Even if you delete it from a site, older versions still exist on other people’s computers.
• Consider not posting photographs as they can be altered and broadcast in ways you might not be happy about.
• Remember that flirting with strangers online could have serious consequences. Some people lie about who they are and you can never be really sure of what you are dealing with. If you are in doubt about someone, don’t engage with them.