Facebook hackers!

I’ve been tracking the progress of the blog and its been steadily rising, yesterday was another record day and today looks to surpass that! Thanks to everyone checking it out, and especially to those that are returning!

I got a message on my Facebook wall that someone had talked about me and/or my blog on their site. The message came from a friend of mine, so I went to check it out, but the link didn’t work. My friend was online so I instant messaged them and saw that their status said that their account had apparently been hacked and that any messages from them were spam. Glad I saw that!

More after the jump….

According to a few hacked people, the link will take you to a faux Facebook sign-in page. You attempt to sign in, and the hackers get your password. Then they spam your friends.

Facebook is supposedly aware of the issue, but I wouldn’t just stop there. Here are some tips:

• You only have to log into Facebook once, unless YOU logout. Any subsequent log-in prompts, while you are logged in, are fake!
• Only log into your Facebook account via the URL either saved in your favorites or by typing www.facebook.com directly into your browser. Note: It may be a good idea to delete the Favorite you have now, type in the correct URL yourself, and then save that one.
• KNOW WHO YOU’RE FRIENDS WITH! There are countless people on the internet looking for ways to get your information, protect yourself! (Example: I Googled “hack facebook” and there were over 5.4 million results!)
• Don’t put you’re entire life out there for anyone to see. Possibly reconsider posting your entire birthday (you can just post the month and day), your phone number, or your email address. If someone really wants to get a hold of you, they can message you or write on your wall and Facebook will notify you either via email or mobile alerts. (All of these settings can be accessed by clicking on “Settings” at the top-right-hand-side of the page once you have logged in.)

Be aware that there are dishonest people in the world. It’s kinda like the old Department of Transportation ads- “Don’t be a dummy, buckle your safety belt.” Be familiar with the sites you’re going to, and don’t ever open email from someone you don’t know or that is suspicious. When in doubt- throw it out!

Unfortunately, with the way things are with the economy, we are going to see Identity Theft on the rise as well as other Property Crimes. My brother-in-law’s wife had her purse stolen out of her sister’s car yesterday. It was a classic smash and grab- they smashed the window and grabbed her purse, and then went and purchased $100 in gas on her bank card. Here are a couple stats on Property crimes, taken from the Bureau of Justice Statistics website:

• Property crime makes up slightly more than three-quarters (75%) of all crime in the United States.
• Overall, in about 84% of all burglaries, the offender gained entry into the victims residence or other building on the property.

I also found some very interesting statistics on Identity Theft via the B.o.J.S. website:

• About 1.6 million households experienced theft of existing accounts other than a credit card (such as a banking account), and 1.1 million households discovered misuse of personal information (such as social security number).
• Across all types of identity theft, the average amount lost per household was $1,620.

You can protect yourself from Identity Theft and Property Crimes, all it takes is common sense. Here are some more tips:

• Our of site- out of mind. If you are going to leave valuables in your vehicle, even if its for “just 5 minutes”, place them out of site. Potential thieves are just looking for the quick and easy payoff.
• Always lock it. Lock your home, lock your car, lock your locker, et cetera. Statistics show that thieves are seeking the path of least resistance.
• Trust no one. No, I’m not advocating or promoting mass paranoia, but we should be using our brains here people! If you don’t know the person, don’t assume anything, let alone that you can trust them.
• Only log into sites that your know are secure. For example: Go to your bank- the physical, brick and mortar location- and ask for their website. Often times, banks have a place in their lobby where you can log into your account(s). Use only the URL’s supplied by your financial institution.
• Internet Sites. Be aware that just because a site looks like the site you want to be on, it may not be. Double check the URL, and then check it again.
• Never give anyone your personal information. I am a fan of the Face Rule. “If I haven’t seen your face in person and had a conversation with you, wherein you state why you need the information you’re asking for, then I will not, under any circumstance, divulge that information.”
• Look out for each other. If something looks or seems suspicious, call it out. Get to know the people living around you. This isn’t being nosy, its caring. Let a neighbor you trust know when you’re going to be out of town. If you’re going to be gone from home for an extended period of time (longer than 3 days and 2 nights), consider asking a friend to stay at your house.

Be safe out there. (Ok- I know that was corny. But seriously, these are our communities. Let’s take some responsibility.)