Webupon

I recently decided to run a sort of “mini-experiment” if you like. I wanted to see just how much information I could dig up on one person using the internet, so I picked a target, and went to work. I wasn’t really expecting to find much as I thought that people would have the sense to keep their private information.. well… private.

I was shocked

The first mistake that this person did was to only use one online alias, and this alias was something the person flaunted so searching for information by alias was so easy it was scary. Within 1/2 an hour, I had amassed the person’s real name, email addresses, friends, school, handphone number. I also managed to run an IP lookup and found the ISP the person was attached to and general location.

This is pretty scary stuff. Imagine if I was a con artist? I had the person’s contact details and other personal information. It wouldn’t be that difficult to orchestrate a pretty complicated scam with such intimate details. I could have first sent an email requesting banking information and then follow-up with a call to give an appearance of legitimacy. I am a pretty OK graphics and web designer and it wouldn’t take alot of effort to set up a scam online banking website which I could refer the person to if i preferred a more high-tech approach.

The point that I am trying to put across here is that the internet is a dangerous place, DEFINATLY not a place you would want to post pictures and personal information about yourself to. I consider blogging to be a very dangerous pastime, which is why I don’t blog (this is an article – not a blog entry). Blogs where you pour out your deepest, innermost feelings can be used as weapons against you. Potential employers, believe it or not, are more likely now to google your name and if they find a potentially damning blog entry under your name…. well you can kiss that job goodbye.

In my school, to take an example,(I wont name it because they are quite trigger happy on the discipline ) we had a serious issue last semester when the principal went on a name searching exercise and found out blogs/video posts that didn’t shed the school in a good light. Letters went home, and I suspect that many, many blogs were hastily deleted before the letters made their way to parents’ shocked hands.

“well my son/daughter is smart enough to stay safe online”

Trust me, they aren’t. Approximately 1/2 my school listed personal details. I even feel that I have put too much information about myself on the internet. Online blogs and social networking sites are treasure troves for identitiy theives. Names, dates, addresses, contact details, pictures, personal thoughts. All open for the world to see. there is a reason for the word “personal” and I believe that the phrase “personal blog” is an oxymoron in its truest sense.

How do I prevent falling prey to identity theives?

Firstly, if you are going to have a blog, DONT put personal feelings and thoughts on it, especially if they fall in the extreme end of the spectrum of beliefs on religion and politics.

Don’t ever ever ever put pictures of yourself on the internet. Just don’t do it. Any image can be copied and superimposed over another by someone who dosen’t like you.

Try not to put your real name on the internet. Use an online alias train yourself not to give your real name online.

Don’t answer ANY emails claiming to be from banks. they are most likely phishing scams. Call your bank directly.

Finally, try to have multiple email addresses, One for close friends and family and the other for newsletters and other junk, and yet another for office use. This should keep junk mail more managable.