Facebook Quizzes = Identity Theft Risk?

Enjoy taking social media and Facebook quizzes? Beware of giving away too much personal information.

Even before the stay-at-home life we’re living now, social media quizzes have been very popular.

They typically take a nominal amount of time to complete, and it can be fun to compare your answers with those of all the other people who’ve taken the same quiz.

Now that many people have increased free time on their hands, these quizzes can be even more irresistible.

“While these social media and Facebook quizzes can seem harmless, these should typically be avoided,” said Aaron Allen. “These quizzes can ask for things like the name of your first pet, your childhood best friend, or your birth city. If you think about it, these are same types of things that are used for your security questions when you’re setting up, say, an online bank account.”

A popular questionnaire invites you to share a picture of every car you’ve ever owned. Tread carefully, because a common security question is, “What was your first car/vehicle?”

Other questions that could provide scammers personal content include:

• What is your mother’s maiden name?
• What is your date of birth?
• What is your favorite color?
• In which year did your graduate high school?
• What is the name of the street you grew up on?

Quizzes aren’t the only place where you can overshare.

Blog posts, social media, and any public online forum are areas where you may unwittingly provide too much personal information.

“Always be vigilant online,” stressed Allen. “If you have a funny feeling about something, avoid it. You never know how information you share will be used – or abused.”