Beware the Facecrooks

A study conducted by Get Safe Online discovered that one in four of the 10 million users of social networking sites will add sensitive information on their profiles. This could be anything as simple as your full name, date of birth and e-mail address, which opens you up as a prime target for 'phishing' e-mails. - bogus messages sent by fraudsters posing as banks and other financial companies.

Websites such as MySpace, Bebo and Facebook (among others) let you communicate with friends and, if you choose, strangers online and build networks of friends linked by shared hobbies and interests.

These sites are very popular with young people. You can be exposed to risks you have always faced online such as:

• online bullying,
• disclosure of private information,
• cyber-stalking,
• access to age-inappropriate content,
• at the most extreme, online grooming and child abuse.

For adults, who are also using these sites in greater numbers, there are serious risks too. They include: loss of privacy and identity theft. Adults too can be victims of cyber-bullying and stalking so take great care to avoid these possible problems.

You can avoid these risks and enjoy social networking sites by following a few sensible guidelines:

• Don’t let peer pressure or what other people are doing on these sites push you into doing something you’re not comfortable with. Just because other people post their mobile phone number or birthday, doesn’t mean you have to.
• Be wary of publishing any identifying information about yourself. In particular things like: phone numbers, pictures of your home, workplace or school, your address, birthday or full name.
• Pick a user name that doesn’t include any personal information. For example, “joe_glasgow” or “jane_liverpool” would be bad choices.
• Set up a separate email account that doesn’t use your real name and use that to register and receive mail from the site. That way if you want to shut down your connection, you can simply stop using that mail account. This is very simple and quick to do using such providers as Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail. (Other services exist. See the DMOZ directory of free web-based mail services).
• Use a strong password (totally random letters and numbers).
• What goes online stays online. Don’t say anything or publish pictures that might cause you embarrassment later. As a general rule, if you wouldn’t say it to your headteacher or your grandmother, don’t say it online.  Remember once something is posted on the internet it is 'out there' for all to use and see at any time, all over the world!
• Learn how to use the site properly. Use the privacy features on the site you use to restrict strangers’ accessing your profile. Be very fussy about who you let join your network. Stick to friends and family who you can trust.
• Be on your guard against phishing scams.  Phishing is an attempt at identity theft in which criminals persuade users to visit a counterfeit website in the hope that they will disclose private information such as user names or passwords .

This is the type of information to avoid putting on your user profile:

• Your full address;
• Your exact date of birth;
• Your phone number;
• Details of where you go to school, college or work;
• Details of your old schools, colleges or universities;
• Any names of your pets;
• Where and when you're going to be on holiday;
• Your e-mail address.

If you would like more information or advice on safe and proper use of social networking sites, please visit Bebo’s Safety centre. Myspace’s safety tips. Facebook’s privacy and security advice.