Remove These 5 Things From Facebook Right Now!

Many of us share a ton of personal information with others via our Facebook profiles and timelines. Could any of this information be potentially harmful if it fell into the wrong hands? The answer is yes.

Let's look at several pieces of personal data that you may want to consider removing from your Facebook profile.

1. Your Birth Date

"Happy Birthdays" are nice and all that, but listing this tidbit of information helps would-be identity thieves gather one of the 3 to 4 pieces of the puzzle they need to steal your identity.

Is helping your friends remember when your birthday is so they can leave an impersonal "happy birthday" on your timeline worth having your identity stolen?

If you absolutely can't stand not having your birthday out there for your friends to see, at least remove the year to make things a little harder for ID thieves.


2. Your Home Address

You're taking a pretty big risk by listing your home address on your Facebook profile. If you "checked in" somewhere while on vacation, thieves will know that you're not at home and they'll also know exactly where to find your house since you listed it in your profile.

Don't rely on friendss only" permissions to keep your address safe from harm, as one of your friends may have left their Facebook profile logged in at a shared computer in a library or cyber cafe where any stranger could potentially view your profile from his/her unsecured account. It's best to leave your address completely out of your Facebook profile.

3. Your Real Phone Number

Much like your home address, your personal phone number could potentially reveal additional information about your location.

If you want your friends to be able to get a hold of you via telephone, consider using a free Google Voice phone number as a go-between so that you can route incoming calls to your "real" phone number without giving that number out.

You can find out detailed information on how to use a Google Voice number to protect your identity by checking out our article: How to Use Google Voice as a Personal Privacy Firewall.



4. Your Relationship Status

"It's complicated", what does that even mean? Well, your stalker might think that it means they have the green light to resume stalking you since you changed your status from "in a relationship". It may also help creepy folks using the scary Facebook Graph Search tool to find you as a potential target for their affection.

Is this something you would feel comfortable divulging to a complete stranger? If not, just leave it out of your profile altogether.

5. Work-related Information

You may be very proud to be an employee of company XYZ, but that company may not want its employees to put company-related info on Facebook. Your innocent status post about how excited you are to be working on an upcoming product or project might give your competitors an edge if they are trolling social media searching for competitive information.

If you have your company information in your profile, then you may be seen as a representative of that company, and your boss might not appreciate that association, especially if you've posted an embarrassing drunken photo with you wearing a shirt with your company's logo on it.

In addition to leaving the above information out of your profile, you should periodically review your Facebook privacy settings to see if Facebook has changed any of your settings to something more public than you are comfortable with. Check out our Facebook privacy section for more helpful information.

Tips For Blocking Those Stupid Robocalls

Nothing is more frustrating than when you are about to sit down and eat a freshly cooked Totinos pizza covered in Sriracha sauce and watch Netflix on the couch with your cat when suddenly you receive a call. Who could it be? Mom? Dad? Nope, it’s a stupid robocall ! You have wasted 30 seconds of your life that you will never get back, and your cat has now taken your spot on the couch. That sly little cat bastard!

You're tired of getting these stupid calls, and you are ready to do something about it. You wonder if Robocalls are just a fact of life that you just have to accept, or if you should try and FIGHT BACK and rage against the machines!

You shout at your cat “Is there anything I can do about these stupid robocalls?” He just stares back at you with unconcerned indifference and blinks those creepy alien-like eyelids of his at you as he claws your leather couch out of sheer spitefulness.


The answer to your question is YES! There are a few things you can do to help cut down on those annoying robocalls.

Here Are a Few Tips For Cutting Down on The Amount of Robocalls You Receive:

1. Get Yourself (And Your Phones) on The Do Not Call Registry

The National Do Not Call Registry (for U.S. residents) should be your first stop on your quest to fight back against robocallers.

The Do Not Call Registry allows you to register all of your phone numbers and helps prevent telemarketers and other unwanted solicitors from calling these numbers. You can register both landlines as well as cell phones, Registering with this service should significantly cut down on the number of “SPAM calls” that you receive. Registration is completely free.

You can check to see if your number is on the list by using the “Verify My Registration” feature of the Do Not Call website.

If you aren’t a U.S. resident, check to see if your country offers a similar service. For example, if you’re in the UK you can register with the Telephone Preference Service which has an opt-out program that is similar to the U.S.


Do Not Call Registry.

2. Use Nomorobo’s Free Robocall Blocking Service

If you’re wanting to cut down on Robocalls and your home phone service uses Voice Over IP (VoIP) technology to deliver your phone calls (and is on the list of supported providers), consider using Nomorobo (as in No More Robocalls ). This free service is supposed to drastically reduce the number of robocalls you receive by answering the robocalls for you and then checking to see if they are on a list of blacklisted robocallers (or on a whitelist of legitimate services).

Check Nomorobo's website for an explanation of how it works as well as a list of supported carriers to see if you can take advantage of this innovative service.

3. Get a Google Voice Number and Use it With Nomorobo

Even if you don't have one of the providers listed, you may be able to port your phone number to a Google Voice number and then use it with Nomorobo or another call blocking / screening service. Check out the Google Voice Page to learn more about what a free Google Voice number can do for you.

Also check out our article on How to Use Google Voice as a Personal Privacy Firewall.

4. Use Anonymous Call Rejection and Call Screening Features (If Your Phone Company Offers Them).

Even if you don't have a provider that supports Nomorobo, you can use your phone company's call screening and anonymous call rejection features to help prevent robocalls from getting through to your phone. Check your providers website to see if they offer these features.

When Does Oversharing Online Become a Security Problem?

haring on social media has become a double-edged sword. It’s fun to share things about our lives that help keep us connected to our friends and family, but sometimes sharing too much can actually drive people away and may also compromise our personal safety.

There are so many ways to share things now, Facebook for our thoughts and likes, Instagram for our pictures, Foursquare for our location check-ins.


There is a social media network for sharing nearly every aspect of our lives.

The big question: At what point does sharing too much oversharingg) become a problem?

Let’s Look at 3 times When Oversharing Can Become a Serious Problem For Ourselves And Others:

When It Provides Your Current Location

Oversharing can become a real personal safety issue when it comes to sharing your current location. You have to decide, whenever you “check-in” while you’re out and about or on vacation, whether the risk of letting potential strangers know where you are is something you are willing to live with.

You need to realize that when you post a geotagged selfie while your on vacation you are letting everyone know that you are not at home. A criminal trolling social media sites for this type of opportunity might take notice, locate your address, and rob your house while you're away.

Posting your location on social media is akin to a porch light left on during the daytime, or a newspaper left in the driveway, both things that indicate that you might not be home.


Social media vacation posts are worse because they confirm that you are gone (and not just too lazy to get the paper). They may also give the criminals a timeline to work with. If you post while you're on vacation in a relatively far off place then they could surmise that you are perhaps at least 8 to 10 hours away.

When it Puts Your Family Members or Loved Ones in Harm’s Way

Do you tag others in your pictures or your status updates when they are with you? This may seem harmless, but it can be a form of oversharing which could put them at risk.

If you are on vacation and you tag another family member in a photo who is also on the vacation, then you have just put them at that same location, thus giving up their current whereabouts. This is harmful for the same reason mentioned earlier.

Tagging other people's children is also not a good thing because those people may not want their children's identity provided to potential strangers. Even if you tag them instead, and don't use their child's name, you are establishing who their parents are. Predators could use this information as part of a pretext to gain trust.

Keep your tags to yourself and don't bring other people into your location check-ins without their permission to do so.

When it Puts Your Job In Jeopardy

Whenever you talk about your work, you could potentially be putting your job at risk, especially if you say something bad about your boss or the company you work for. Companies take social media very seriously and won't take kindly to it when you say something negative. As an employee, you are a representative of who you work for, and your words and actions could potentially cause harm to the company.

You might be able to delete your negative post, but possibly not before someone has taken a screenshot of it and forwarded it to your boss or the local news.

You might also talk about something that is company proprietary information or divulge something that might seem innocuous to you, but might give a competitor an advantage. Example: say you discuss a missed deadline for a product launch. A competitor might pick up on this and push to get their product out before yours.

Bottom Line:

Think about the potential impact that sharing something might have on yourself and others before you share it with the world.
Posting your location on social media is akin to a porch light left on during the daytime, or a newspaper left in the driveway, both things that indicate that you might not be home.

Social media vacation posts are worse because they confirm that you are gone (and not just too lazy to get the paper). They may also give the criminals a timeline to work with. If you post while you're on vacation in a relatively far off place then they could surmise that you are perhaps at least 8 to 10 hours away.

When it Puts Your Family Members or Loved Ones in Harm’s Way

Do you tag others in your pictures or your status updates when they are with you? This may seem harmless, but it can be a form of oversharing which could put them at risk.

If you are on vacation and you tag another family member in a photo who is also on the vacation, then you have just put them at that same location, thus giving up their current whereabouts. This is harmful for the same reason mentioned earlier.

Tagging other people's children is also not a good thing because those people may not want their children's identity provided to potential strangers. Even if you tag them instead, and don't use their child's name, you are establishing who their parents are. Predators could use this information as part of a pretext to gain trust.

Keep your tags to yourself and don't bring other people into your location check-ins without their permission to do so.

When it Puts Your Job In Jeopardy

Whenever you talk about your work, you could potentially be putting your job at risk, especially if you say something bad about your boss or the company you work for. Companies take social media very seriously and won't take kindly to it when you say something negative. As an employee, you are a representative of who you work for, and your words and actions could potentially cause harm to the company.

You might be able to delete your negative post, but possibly not before someone has taken a screenshot of it and forwarded it to your boss or the local news.

You might also talk about something that is company proprietary information or divulge something that might seem innocuous to you, but might give a competitor an advantage. Example: say you discuss a missed deadline for a product launch. A competitor might pick up on this and push to get their product out before yours.


Think about the potential impact that sharing something might have on yourself and others before you share it with the world.

5 Online Dating Red Flags You Shouldn't Ignore

Online dating has gone from something that was scoffed at a few years ago, to a ubiquitous technology that is as mainstream as ordering pizza. There are dating sites that cater to certain niche audiences such as the infamous farmersonly.com and of course there are still the large established mega sites such as match.com, eharmony, and others.
Love it or hate it, online dating appears to have staying power and will likely be with us for quite a while.
We’ve already talked about some tips for having a safer online dating experience in our article: Online Dating Safety and Security Tips.
In this article, we’re going to focus on online dating red flags you shouldn’t ignore in your quest for the perfect date.
Not Everyone is Really Looking For Love
Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers out there. They take advantage of folks who are looking for love and will try to lure them away from dating sites and over to phishing sites and other nefarious enterprises. Scammers will employ technologies such as bots to do their dirty work and will make it difficult to tell the real folks from the fake ones.
Here Are Some Red Flags You Shouldn't Ignore When You're Looking For Love Online:
Red Flag #1 - They Don’t Really Answer Your Questions Directly
A lot of scammers will use bots, (programs that mimic human interactions) to try and con users into visiting sites or performing some action that scammers want their victim to perform (such as divulging personal information.
The problem is, bots are stupid. They don't interact well (except for maybe some of the more robust "chatterbots").
When you ask a bot a question, it's most likely not going to give you a straight answer. It may look at keywords in your responses and try to message you something relevant, but it still won't be a direct answer. If it seems like the person you're talking to isn't answering your questions directly, try to ask them (or it) something very specific to see if it comes back with another generic response.
This will help you determine if you're dealing with a bot or a scammer who just doesn't really want to put in the effort required to carry on a normal conversation.
Check out these 5 Signs Your Online Love Interest Might be a Scam Bot
Red Flag #2 - They Want to Move You Off The Dating Site As Soon As Possible
A scammer's goal is to get you off the dating site and onto their site so they can take whatever it is that they want from you, whether it be your credit card information, your personal information, or something else. Expect them to attempt to direct you to a website, phone number, or e-mail address of their choosing. They will usually try to do this in the first 5 or so messages.
They may waste a little time trying to build a rapport with you, but eventually they will show their true colors and try to close the deal by enticing you to click a link or contact them offsite. This is not to say that everyone who tries to give you their phone number right off the bat is a scammer, but it is a red flag nonetheless, and should put you on alert to look for other signs of danger.
Red Flag #3 - They Want to Know Your Location
Whether they are a scammer or just some weirdo, they shouldn't be asking for your address up front. This could be part of a phishing scam or something much worse. Until you've really gotten to know someone, you should never give out your location. When you agree to meet, neutral public locations with a lot of people are probably best for meeting someone new. Always tell a friend what your plans are and if they change.
Red Flag #4 - They Get Too Personal Too Fast
If they start asking a lot of deeply personal questions that seem out of context, they could be attempting to phish you for personal information that they could use for identity theft purposes. Don't give out your birthdate to strangers. It's one of the critical pieces of information they might need to set up an account in your name.
Red Flag #5 - Their Profile Looks a Little Thin or Generic
If the dating profile is weak and has very little info other than generic statement like the cliche "I love to laught" then it might be a red flag that they may just be using canned cut-and-paste scam profile information. Check out these tips on How to Spot a Fake Friend Request, many of the same tips apply in this situation.

Help! My Password Has Been Cracked

You’re not really sure How the Heck They Got Your Password, but they did, and now you’re freaking out. The password to one of your accounts has been cracked and you don’t know what to do to get control back of your account.
Let’s look at several things you can do to get control of your account and get things back to a secure state:
If Someone Cracked Your Password But You Can Still Log Into Your Account
The worst case scenario is that your account password gets hacked and the hackers change your password. Hopefully the security questions that you answered when you set up your account will help you regain control of your account and allow you to reset your password back and lock them out.
What if there aren’t any security questions? Many accounts have a password reset process that will allow you to initiate a reset using an email account that you have on file with the account provider. Unless the hacker has changed this email address, you should be able to regain control of your account by having the password reset link sent to your email.
If They’ve Taken Control Of Your Account and Locked You Out By Changing The Password
If the person who cracked your password has locked you out by changing your password then getting it reset might be a little more complicated. You may need to contact the account support line of the account provider and explain the situation, they should be able to verify that you are who you say you are via other means such as by looking at the phone numbers you have on file, verifying your address, or reviewing the answers to your security questions.
Make sure that you inform the account provider that this just happened and that any new information recently added to your account is false and that you want to place your account on hold until everything is sorted out. Reporting the password hack quickly is essential to limiting the damage.
If The Account Was Your Main Email Account
If your main email account is hacked then things can become even more complicated because, chances are, you have a lot of other accounts pointing to your email account for password reset purposes.
Thankfully most email providers have multiple ways of verifying that you are whom you say you are. Follow their account password reset procedures and if all else fails contact their account support.
The next step you should take after resetting your main (hacked) email account password is to change all passwords for any other account that you have that point to that account for password reset purposes. The reason: the password crackers could have initiated password resets for those other accounts.
Steps to Take To Prevent it From Happening Again:
Make Your Next Password Much Stronger
When creating passwords to replace ones that have been cracked, you need to create a much stronger, longer, and more complex password. For tips on creating strong passwords, check out our article: How to Make a Strong Password.
Use Two-factor Authentication If It’s Offered
Another way to prevent future account compromises is to enable two-factor authentication on the accounts that support it. Two-factor authentication usually requires some kind of token, such as a PIN that is sent by the account provider via an already established communication line that you have verified, such as a mobile phone or secondary email account. Other methods of two-factor authentication use fingerprint readers such as those featured on newer iPhones, iPads, and some Android devices.

5 Things You Should Never Post on Facebook

Facebook has become the Google of social networks. If you're not updating your status right now, chances are that you are uploading photos or taking some sort of odd quiz. We post tons of intimate details about our lives that we normally wouldn't share with anyone. We think that as long as we make sure our privacy settings are set correctly that we are safe and snug within our circle of friends.
The problem is that we never know who's really looking at our information.
Our friend's account could have been hacked when they installed some rogue application, or their creepy uncle might be using their account because they forgot to log out. For the sake of the safety of you and your family, there is some information that you should never post on Facebook. Here are 5 things you should consider removing or not posting to Facebook and/or other social networks.
1. You or Your Family's Full Birth Dates
We all love getting “happy birthdays” from our friends on our Facebook wall. It makes us feel all warm inside knowing that people remembered and cared enough to write us a short note on our special day. The problem is when you list your birthday you are providing identity thieves with one of the 3 or 4 pieces of personal information that is needed to steal your identity. It’s best to not list the date at all, but if you must, at least leave out the year. Your real friends should know this info anyway.
2. Your Relationship Status
Whether you are in a relationship or not, it may be best not to make it public knowledge.
Stalkers would love to know that you just became newly single. If you change your status to "single" it gives them the green light they were looking for to resume stalking now that you're back on the market. It also lets them know that you might be home alone since your significant other is no longer around. Your best bet is to just leave this blank on your profile.
3. Your Current Location
There are a lot of people who love the location tagging feature on Facebook that allows them to let people know where they are 24/7. The problem is that you have just told everyone that you're on vacation (and not at your house). If you add how long your trip is then thieves know exactly how much time they have to rob you. My advice is not to provide your location at all. You can always upload your vacation pictures when you get home or text your friends to let them know how jealous they should be that you're sipping an umbrella drink while they toil away at work.
4. The Fact That You Are Home Alone
It is extremely important that parents make sure their children never put the fact that they are home alone in their status. Again, you wouldn’t walk into a room of strangers and tell them you are going to be all alone at your house so don’t do it on Facebook either.
We may think that only our friends have access to our status, but we really have no idea who is reading it. Your friend may have had their account hacked or someone could be reading over their shoulder at the library. The best rule of thumb is not to put anything in your profile or status that you wouldn’t want a stranger to know. You may have the most stringent privacy settings possible, but if your friend’s account gets compromised than those settings go out the window.
5. Pictures of Your Kids Tagged With Their Names
We love our kids. We would do anything to keep them safe, but most people post hundreds of tagged pictures and videos of their kids to Facebook without even giving it a second thought. We even go so far as to replace our profile pictures with that of our children.
Probably 9 out of 10 parents posted their child’s full name, and exact date and time of birth while they were still in the hospital after delivery. We post pictures of our kids and tag them and their friends, siblings, and other relatives. This kind of information could be used by predators to lure your child. They could use your child’s name and the names of their relatives and friends to build trust and convince them that they are not really a stranger because they know detailed information that allows them to build a rapport with your child.
If you must post pictures of your children then you should at least remove personally identifying information such as their full names and birth dates. Untag them in pictures. Your real friends know their names anyway.
I would be a hypocrite if I said that I have completely removed all tagged pictures of my kids on facebook. It is a daunting task given the amount of pictures that we take as proud parents, but I have started on it and I'll do a little bit each day until it's finished.
Lastly, think twice before you tag pictures of the children of friends and relatives. They might not want you tagging their kids for the reasons mentioned above. You can send them a link to the pictures and they can tag themselves in place of their children if they want to.

How Hack-proof is Your Wireless Network?

You set up your wireless network many years ago and then you forgot about it because you don’t want to mess with something as long as it’s working. As the old saying goes: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, right? Wrong!
When you set up your router initially, you remember setting a password, perhaps turning on wireless encryption, but your memory is hazy and you don’t really know the exact settings.
So here we are. Your wireless network router is doing its thing in a corner, gathering dust, but you really don’t know if it’s even hacker-resistant.
Let’s take a quick quiz and see just how secure your wireless network is. Answer the following questions and at the end of the article we’ll tell you what your security posture is and what you can do to improve it.
Give yourself a point for every question you answer yes. While no network is truly "hack-proof" we'll tell you how we think you're doing at the end of the quiz.
1. Does Your Wireless Network Have WPA2 Encryption Turned on? (+1 point if Yes)
Your wireless network needs to have encryption turned on in order to protect data traversing it, as well as providing a way to keep unwanted users from freeloading. The type of Wi-Fi security used makes a big difference.
If you're using outdated WEP encryption, then you are highly vulnerable to having your network cracked by even the most novice hacker. WEP is extremely vulnerable to compromise and there are tools available on the Internet that can crack WEP encryption in a matter of minutes.
If you aren't using WPA2 encryption, you should be. Check out our article: How to Encrypt Your Wireless Network for details on implementing WPA2.
2. Does Your Router Offer a Firewall Feature And is it Turned on? (+1 point if Yes)
Most modern wireless routers have a built-in network firewall that can help protect your network from unwanted traffic attempting to enter and/or leave your network. This can be a valuable tool if configured properly. Check out our articles on How to Configure a Firewall and also How to Test Your Firewall to see if it's doing its job.
3. Do You Have a Strong Password For Your Wireless Network? (+1 point if Yes)
A strong network password is essential in preventing brute force password attacks. Check out our article on How to Change Your Wi-Fi Password if you think yours might not be a strong enough password.
4. Did You Change Your Wireless Network Name to Something Unique? (+1 point if Yes)
Using a simple, common, or default wireless network name can also put you at risk for getting hacked. Read our article: Is Your Wireless Network Name a Security Risk to find out why it might be.
5. Are You Using a Personal VPN Service To Protect Your Network? (+1 point if Yes)
A personal Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be an excellent tool for protecting the data on your network and can also provide features such as anonymous browsing. Learn about the many benefits offered by personal VPNs in our article: Why You Need a Personal VPN.
6. Is Your Wireless Router's Firmware up to Date? (+1 point if Yes)
If your router's firmware is out of date then you may be missing out on security patches that could help fix router-related vulnerabilities. You may also be missing out on new features that are sometimes offered in updated firmware. Check with your router manufacturer to see if there is any updated firmware available for your specific model.
Your Score.
If you answered "yes" to all 6 questions, then your network is about as secure as they come. 5 out of 6 isn't bad either. Less than 5 would indicate that you may have some security issues that need to be addressed soon so that you are better equipped to sustain a wireless hacking attempt. Try to implement all 6 items to give yourself the best odds of not becoming a wireless hacking victim.