Over 90% of people under the age of 25 post personal information on social media, including their date of birth and the names of their pets.
There’s an entire industry devoted to pet Instagram accounts. These animals are very cute, and super famous, with millions of fans that allow them to earn thousands of dollars per post. These accounts are among the only positive parts of social media, well, until you realize that posting this type of content could make you vulnerable to fraud.
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CNBC reports that over 90% of people under the age of 25 post personal information on social media, including their date of birth and the names of their pets. While this sounds like a harmless thing that everyone does, this personal information tends to pop up in security questions and even passwords. CNBC learned that 1 in 10 people choose the name of their pet as a password for one of their accounts.
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The bank Santander was in charge of leading this survey, calling attention to celebrities and how they should be more responsible. Celebrities are some of the biggest oversharers and have millions of young fans that copy their behavior.
“Make sure you get the balance right and don’t give fraudsters an easy ride. Check your privacy settings are on, stay vigilant and consider what you’re giving away before hitting post,” says Chris Ainsley, head of fraud strategy at Santander.
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According to social media expert Jodie Cook, pets, maiden and middle names, date of birth and other types of family insight are among the most common bits of information that could lead to fraud and online exposure. While that doesn’t mean you can’t post pictures of your pet anymore, maybe it means that your settings should be set to private and that their name should never be in your password.