We use the word ‘games’ loosely here. We aren’t necessarily talking about games you install on Facebook. In this instance, the following Facebook status update has recently gone viral:

Place of Birth!!!!!!!….Everyone play. It will be interesting to learn where my FB friends were born. Copy, paste and then put where you were born at the end of the post. Scranton Pa. (<— Enter You Place of birth here)

Sometimes messages like these seem harmless and very well could have been started by people with no ill will, but you should really think twice before divulging any personal information that identity thieves can use against you.

Think of identity theft as a puzzle. There are a few key components required for identity thieves to be successful. These are:

1. Your Full Name
2. Date of Birth
3. Social Security Number
4. Place of Birth – (often used as a security question for web based accounts)
5. Address
6. Other information used as security questions, like mother’s maiden name, pet’s name, etc.

You don’t want to give them any information that could help them complete their puzzle on you! We strongly advise against posting anything to Facebook or anywhere else online that could make an identity thief’s job any easier.

In our comprehensive guide on “How to Lockdown Your Facebook Account For Maximum Privacy and Security,” we advise Facebook users to omit information in the Basic Information and Contact Information sections. Data breaches are commonplace these days, so never put anything on Facebook that you wouldn’t mind the whole world seeing. Operate with the assumption that you have no expectation of privacy anywhere, and you’ll be one step ahead.

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