Posting little details of our life on various threads…

There is someone on a thread, popped on having been widowed, male and in the `suffering` stage. Now being befriended by one of our regular and vulnerable posters. I know this vulnerable poster uses PMs. Step 2 he could well start to make contact via pm and on it goes

Action fraud speaker said that first they befriend or share common hobbies, interests etc. This vulnerable poster has given many details about herself on GN over past years

My IPad will choose and remember difficult passwords for me. Just hope I never lose my iPad but it never leaves the house.

I think you are right GG some people do post a lot of detail over time. I don’t know about you but I change names and even locations slightly at times.
Our main credit card was also hacked along with other friends which was from a well known shop, seems to have been a lot lately.

Could even be done via commissioning a crafted article via GN and then PM

This is why I remain as neutral as possible, not giving dates for anything, birthday, anniversaries of any type. Like everyone else I have been through the whole gamut of these dates but no-one knows nor will know

Anyone who can work out my passwords from stuff I post on Gransnet must have worked at Bletchley Park during the war.

I have never used a date, address etc in a password.
I'm surprised people do to be honest.

Do people do this?

The worst thread for this was "What can you see from your window".
One poster gave the area - the fact that the flat was over Sainburys and over-looking a railway station that was named.

Gobsmacked by so much info. I Googled and found the location within 2 minutes.
Frightening

All of my passwords are from a random generator and don’t remotely connect to anything in my life, however I understand your concern.

Boz

The worst thread for this was "What can you see from your window".
One poster gave the area - the fact that the flat was over Sainburys and over-looking a railway station that was named.

Gobsmacked by so much info. I Googled and found the location within 2 minutes.
Frightening

But we do say where we live on the Good Morning thread, at least that was its original aim, a snapshot of weather round the country and a brief word about our plans for the day.

I agree, Grannygravy13
I went to a talk about scams; we think we know better and wouldn't be so daft but some scammers are so clever even those who should know about them have been caught.

Did anyone see this BBC programme? I missed it but it's probably still available on iPlayer.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c04nx1vnw17o#:~:text=It%20is%20called%20Shwe%20Kokko,jail%2C%20awaiting%20extradition%20to%20China.
Scam Interceptors is another good programme.

The UK has lost £billions to scammers.

A good reminder GrannyGravy13
Thanks

luluaugust

I think you are right GG some people do post a lot of detail over time. I don’t know about you but I change names and even locations slightly at times.
Our main credit card was also hacked along with other friends which was from a well known shop, seems to have been a lot lately.

I had two credit cards used by someone from a reputable British firm. I received the goods, needed an exchange and did it by phone. My card details were used by someone for other purchases.
The reputable firm denied that any of their staff would do such a thing. 🤔 I learnt later that apparently they pass the card details on to a third party for a backhander.

Apologies if I sound like an old worry wort 🌸
Can't be too careful - scammers are always trying to keep one step ahead.

I often lie about my dob having been warned not to divulge it to unknown people. Then I am puzzled by the ‘birthday’ wishes at random times of the year ! You can’t win …

I learnt that lesson in the early days of Gransnet when I mentioned a post I had held and received an angry response from someone who thought they could and did do it better. So my first username disappeared and here I've been ever since.

when ordering online, they send an email confirming the order, why then do they always ask for a phone number, they don't need it if they have the email address, I never give my phone number..

TBH we do get waves of “harmless” (?) threads here and on Facebook asking for first pets, favourite colours or flowers, first love, first pop song , school subjects and now football teams, I am sure an experienced profiler or indeed scammer could build up a very detailed picture of anybody who answered all of these questions.
The simple remedy is to ignore!

It is good to be reminded about being careful about what we post. I doubt anyone could find my passwords or address from anything I post.
Maybe not giving the dates of our birthdays would be safer.

We can't be too careful. I think there is a risk posting on the good morning thread. It is such a lovely thread and I enjoy reading all about people's day. It feels cosy and friendly and may give a felling of false security. It is so easy to give out too much information that may identify posters or people unwittingly divulge their location . Often posters disclosed personal information too. All this may paint a very clear picture to people who are not to be trusted. Perhaps I am over cautious? I am sure I will be told if that is the case !

I don't worry about passwords, as none of mine are remotely connected to me, and a 'hacker' would need to know my bank details in order to use them anyway.

I am careful about what I post that refers to my personal life, and have asked people I trust on here to let me know if I do post anything identifying. I don't think people could work out who I am from my posts. For one thing, I am not in the public eye at all, so there is nothing to go by, and for another I'm not interesting enough for anyone to bother. I do think that if someone I know read one thing and thought 'Oh, Ddog has one of those, or goes to Timbuktu for her holidays' they could connect other posts and confirm their suspicions. I would hope that a true friend would respect my privacy and not do that, but people can be nosy.

Does it matter? Not really, but my concern would be that something I say on here might be taken out of context and reported to someone I care about. I am honest about my opinions on here, but like most people I am more careful about expressing them 'in real life' where I don't really discuss politics, religion or money with acquaintances.

How many of us, if buying online, tick the Terms and Conditions without scrutinising them each time?
They often include the proviso that the firm can pass your details on to third parties.

It is true, sadly, that it's easy to forget that there are many people who are looking for personal details which can help crime. One of the worst is telling the world when you will be away on holiday. My daughter in law does this and gives updates and photos of the places they are visiting. It's an open invitation for a burglar.
Many towns have on-line communities and again, people need to be careful not to give too much information. Anyone who reports a crime and uploads a picture risks being targeted.

I slightly alter some of my details, so if I was talking about a friend who had a similar difficulty to something being discussed on a thread, for example, I would change their info, so I would say they were male instead of female.
I do that if I mention my children as well.
I lie basically but only with regard to non relevant details.

I do that too, Galaxy, particularly where my children and other people are concerned. I don't think I have the right to tell anyone's story but my own, IYSWIM.