A party out of bounds

Friends, watch out for your Facebooks. I poke fun at Facebook a lot, but this is serious ... this report on CNN tells about how people can steal your Facebook identity to con your friends into sending them money.

Of course, your friends think it's you asking ... and the following is from a Denver news station:

Consumer advocates have warned Facebook, which boasts more than 150 million active users, is a virtual gold mine for identity thieves who steal personal information and scam people into sending money.

The ABC affiliate offers the following tips (from the Better Business Bureau) to Facebook users, or people using any social networking site:

• Be extremely wary of messages from friends or strangers that direct the user to another Web site via a hyperlink.
• Before wiring money to a friend in a jam, users should attempt to contact their friend outside of the social networking site, such as over the phone or via e-mail to confirm the situation. If that’s not possible, BBB recommends asking them a question to which only they would know the answer.
• Users should always make sure their computer’s operating system’s antivirus and firewall software are up to date.
• Social networking sites are about sharing information, but BBB recommends that users take steps to keep important information private. While some social networking Web sites do allow for the user to share phone numbers and addresses, it’s best to keep such information private.
• Be selective when choosing friends. While a user might not want to be rude, BBB recommends that it’s best to decline a request for friendship if the user doesn’t actually know the person.

So ... if any of you get a message from me asking for money, be sure to send it to my home address (I'm in the book).