Nobody Needs to Know the Name of Your Pet & We'll Tell You Why

So, you think it’s no big deal to take one of those online quizzes on Facebook asking about your first car, pet’s name, or street you lived on growing up?

Think again.

According to Krebs on Security, these seemingly harmless games, quizzes and surveys could be the gateway for cybercriminals to access your online credentials and accounts.  They can more often than not be data-harvesting schemes and you’re just handing away the keys to the house when you answer them.

“Your answers to these questions may live in perpetuity online, giving identity thieves and scammers ample ammunition to start gaining backdoor access to your various online accounts.”

Here’s an example.  When a tire and auto repair shop in California asked Facebook users, “What car did you learn to drive stick shift on?” your answer could easily be the same as to the question, “What was the make and model of your first car?”  And that is often one of the questions used by banks and companies for customers to access their accounts or resetting their passwords.

Your information could even be used to tinker with our elections.  Don’t forget the Cambridge Analytica scandal which reportedly collected data on more than 50 million Facebook users without their consent and then used this information to target potential voters in political campaigns

Read more from Krebs on Security to learn more about these types of identity threats and how you can avoid getting caught up in their scams.  It's simple, just don't answer them.