How Social-Networking Sites Can Reveal Your Social Security Number

News Type: Event — Seeded on Thu Jul 9, 2009 7:06 PM EDT

Article Source: Wall Street Journal

odd-news, social-networking, sites, social-security-number

A new study says that mundane information like birthdays and hometowns on social-networking profiles can be used to accurately predict a user's Social Security number, a key to identity theft.

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1.5

{"commentId":8128122,"authorDomain":"bvdev234"}

bvdev234

This is a serious problem.

{"commentId":8128122,"threadId":"623274","contentId":"3012741","authorDomain":"bvdev234"}

1 vote

#1 - Thu Jul 9, 2009 7:08 PM EDT

{"commentId":8129317,"authorDomain":"jimmyjamm93442"}

Jim420

no kidding how much money was spent on this stupid survey.. gimme just the town you live in and I bet I can guess the first 6 numbers of your phone number with just as much accuracy, and with as many guesses get the whole number.. duh.. I happen to know I have a lower number than my dad, and got my ssn in the same place as he did, so I thnk numbers may be re-used.. the point of this story.. don't put your whole life on the web.. like your pets name,,, when you use that as a password reminder question... DUH... you are only as vulnerable as you let yourself be....

{"commentId":8129317,"threadId":"623274","contentId":"3012741","authorDomain":"jimmyjamm93442"}

1 vote

#2 - Thu Jul 9, 2009 8:33 PM EDT

{"commentId":8134039,"authorDomain":"kissmyconservativism"}

A chicken in every pot!

It constantly amazes me of the revealing information members of my family expose on these questionaires that are asked in a mundane fashion. I try to warn them, but "it's innocent fun", I'm just being paranoid, in their eyes. This story surprises me not one bit.

{"commentId":8134039,"threadId":"623274","contentId":"3012741","authorDomain":"kissmyconservativism"}

1 vote

#3 - Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:15 AM EDT

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How Social-Networking Sites Can Reveal Your Social Security Number

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