For anyone who knows where to look, your address, phone number, birth date and possibly more are only a few clicks away. Search engines experts can easily turn up property records, unlisted or mobile numbers, and even more sensitive information such as national insurance, credit-card and bank-account numbers.

Do I really want my friends, my neighbors, my colleagues or any other person, for that matter knowing so much about me? Do I want them to know even the small stuff: where i've lived, how much I paid for my house, how old I am or how they can reach me? For most of us, the answer is no.

Recently I came across several websites where “private member” areas could be gotten into by inputting a password which was visible to the world within 4/5 clicks of a mouse. These “private” pages had names, addresses, mobile numbers, email addresses of residents in the area. The first steps towards a criminal committing ID Fraud. NB: 12/9/08 I have managed to contact the owner now and warned him of the risks.

For instance, a recent Google search I ran returned the top 3 results as showing my mobile number and address. Luckily I had placed this information there myself. But what if you hadn’t? Luckily there are things you can do to protect yourself online! Heres my top 4 tips.

• Check the privacy statement of the site you're using to see what you're signing up and agreeing to (e.g. will they protect your details; do they take ownership of the information you put up there?)
• Don’t put any information into social networking sites that you wouldn’t share with a stranger in the street including memorable dates, pets names or anything that you may be using as a password for online banking or online shops.
• When shopping online (especially in the run up to xmas when most online fraud is committed) take a quick look in the address bar to see if it says https:// when inputting your credit/debit card details or that a padlock is in the bottom corner of the browser.
• Be aware of any email that you receive asking for your personal credit card or bank information. No reputable website will ever ask you to change your password or confirm personal information via an email. If you do suspect something you can always ring the company direct.

If you think your details may be online somewhere without your permission ring the company or individual and ask them to take it down. If you have worries that your details are on online but may be exposed especially in “private members areas” you should contact the company or individual responsible and ask them to take the details down while they contact their hosting service who should offer password protected directories which aren’t visible to the public as standard.
Regards

Michael | www.thisisglossop.co.uk

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