Ohio Family’s Baby Photos Stolen on Facebook

facebook-privacyLast week, an Ohio couple received a rude surprise when they found out that pictures of their three-week-old daughter had been stolen from Facebook and used to create a fake virtual family.

Rick and Natalie Ross discovered that one of Natalie’s Facebook friends, a woman in Kentucky, had stolen the picture from the site and was passing off the infant in the photo as her own. She also had an allegedly fake husband named Brad comment on her photos, though the Ross’ believe she set up and operated that profile, too. What’s worse, the woman who stole the couple’s pictures had originally gotten to know Natalie after following her blog that dealt with her coping with the death of her first daughter.

The couple issued a warning to other Facebook users who may not be aware of what images and information they have on their profiles.

“Just because they have one mutual friend doesn’t mean they have the right motives. Be very careful of who you accept because you never know what they could do or what they are capable of doing,” Rick Ross said.

Users should always be careful of what information they make publicly available. For more specific information on how to lock down your Facebook photos, visit Facebook’s photo privacy help center.

Also be sure to check out our blog post on how fake Facebook profiles can be used by scammers, bullies and thieves to wreak havoc on the social network.



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