I don’t know about you, but I personally miss those private days when nobody knew what I ate, where I travelled and what I wore.
The time before the internet, the time before social media? That’s what I miss sometimes…
I am a private person, but my life wasn’t all that private at some stage because a Nigerian romance scammer made friends with me, checked my Instagram profile, gathered information about me, and even cloned a friend’s account.
All because my account was not set up as ‘private’ and he made himself so comfortable in my private cyber space, used every piece of information against me, gave my information to other scammers so that they would try a different kind of scam on me, groomed me, and psychologically manipulated me for his own gain.
He didn’t get a penny out of me, but I still paid he price for not having my life on Instagram private.
This experience taught me a lot, helped me meet some excellent anti-scam fighters from all around the world and victims of this heinous crime.
This experience also made me one of the experts on what not to share on social media, and this is what I’m going to share with you today.
Never, Ever Share These Online
Here are the tips and reasons why you should keep your life private for safety and peace:
Don’t share the view from your window or outside your home. Street signs, landmarks or building names can give away exactly where you live.
I almost shared a video on Facebook doing just that.
The thing was…
My dog alerted the media by barking, and I noticed that there was a bush turkey on top of our fence. It jumped over the fence and started to roam the street. So, I videoed it until it disappeared. I was just about to post it, but I realised that the street sign was blaring at me in that video. The bush turkey is no longer there, but if you put the street sign and the city where I live, then you can find me easily!
Don’t share your check-ins on social media. Be careful with sharing your whereabouts on social media. Thieves, scammers, and even human traffickers use social media these days, and they are not afraid of using this information against you. If you still want to share your whereabouts, always delay it.
Avoid showing your daily routine. Posting your daily routine, such as your gym times, your morning runs, or when you leave for work, makes it easy for someone to track you and inflict harm.
Don’t show off. Do not share screenshots of your paycheck or account balances, expensive designer clothes or jewellery in order to show off. This would make you an easy target for criminals.
Remember, this was also the way the FBI caught Hushpuppi because he broke the cardinal rule of scammers by flaunting his wealth obtained by a business email compromise scam (BEC).
Never share your travel plans or keep them vague. Either don’t share your travel plans or keep them vague, avoiding sharing details like your destination, hotel names, and addresses. Do it after you’ve come home, if you must.
Also, skip the vacation countdowns. Posting your travel plans in advance is an open invitation for burglars.
Do not post your car’s licence plate. If you’re selling your car or need to post a photo of your car, please blur the licence plate. It’s incredibly easy for those evil eyes to harvest your personal information through your license plate number.
On top of that, your car becomes an easy target for thieves who usually have buyers before they even steal it. P.S.: This piece of information comes from an ex-officer.
Don’t post that you’re looking for work or housing, especially if you’re alone. Scammers and traffickers often pose as helpers offering fake jobs or places to stay through DMs.
So, next time, before you hit post, think twice.
