A picture is worth a thousand words and could even be worth a few thousand dollars from your bank account.  An image of your face matched with your name has never been more dangerous for scams than in today’s technological environment.  Fake social media accounts with your face and name can be used as bait to get people to send money to the fake you.  A picture of yourself along with a fake social media profile can be used together with a fake email address to enter you into the world of fraudulent transactions that can trigger law suits and debt collections that don’t belong to you.

“Privacy – like eating and breathing – is one of life’s basic requirements”

Posting Pics While On Vacation

Posting pictures while you are on vacation can clue people in to steal your mail and result in identity theft.  Your mail can contain many items of information like your social security number, phone number, and account numbers.  If you can wait to post pics until you get back from vacation, it would probably be worth waiting.

Pics of Your Home

Pictures of your home can clue criminals into how the interior of your home is set up and what types of security systems you have.  They can show how many pets you have, how many entrances you have, and you could inadvertently reveal your address with a family photo in front of your house.  Make sure that your home photos are not too revealing of your home setup.  In other words, don’t give a home tour on social media.

Pics of Your License Plate

There are a lot of people who love to show off their car collection or their favorite rides on social media.  It is fine to do this as long as a license plate is not included in the pics.  Fake license plates could be made with your actual license plate number on them which could make you responsible for someone else’s tickets or toll road fines.

Putting It All Together

Privacy is easy to disrupt when you can put all the clues from social media together.  A lot of damage can be done if someone knows your name, address, and license plate number.  Make sure you are aware of any information that you are giving away in your photos.  You can always use a tool to blur any private info that might show up in your selfies if you must post your latest pics.