Burglar gets caught red-handed via Facebook

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September 22nd, 2009 - Posted by Kent

Note to criminals: when you've broken into someone's house and stolen two diamond rings, do not use their computer to check your Facebook page. And if you really are that much of a Facebook addict, at least remember to log out before you leave the victim's house. These are exactly the common sense precautions that 19-year-old Jonathan Parker ignored, only to find himself under arrest for robbery. As far as we know, he did not post a status update describing his crime.

While Mr. Parker's is a special case, or perhaps an especially stupid case, it does say something about how much a part of our lives social networking has become. And it's a reminder that every time you log in on a computer, you're entering personal information, you're leaving your mark. Cybercriminals rely on our level of comfort with technology. You don't have to be a third-rate criminal to get into trouble.

Perfectly innocent people have been victimized after posting their vacation plans on Twitter. Even if you're not involved in social networking, you could still be at risk for exposure. Malware such as keyloggers can send your private banking data to cybercriminals on the other side of the world. Until I used Symantec's Risk Assessment tool, I wasn't truly conscious of how much of "me" could potentially be "out there".

Internet security software helps to protect your digital tracks and keep your data out of the hands of cybercriminals. Identity theft protection can give you an early warning when someone's mucking around with your personal data. Because unfortunately not every thief is as careless as Mr. Parker.