One of the most heinous and disruptive consequences of online services is identity theft, where a criminal has enough personal information about your identity to use this information to open bank accounts, obtain loans and credit cards and even obtain driving licenses in your name.
The effect on the victim can be devasting.
Social media provides a harvest of rich pickings for identity thieves. Avoid putting your full name, address and real date of birth in social media. Make yourself younger or older, people will still know it is your birthday!
Make your pictures private “friends only” so a casual observer cannot see them.
Do not put up pictures of your passport or driving license or any other identity documents and post holiday snaps when you come back, not during, your holiday.
Reclaiming your identity or dealing with credit card companies or your bank after a fraud is onerous and tedious. Think carefully about what you are doing online and what would happen if your information, your computer or your phone fell into the wrong hands. Be careful.