Facebook

[Guest DaveW]

Just had an e-mail from Facebook saying a name I did not recognise had made me a friend and wanted to share pictures with me. How did Facebook get hold of my e-mail address? I unsubscribed in case it was some kind of phishing attempt since I have never ever been on Facebook?

DaveW

[colinb]

if you never use Facebook then they will not send you an email and facebook don't really send emails about 'friends' that usally comes via the facebook notification system - deleting it is the best thing you could have done.

[annie]

i dont understand why you unsubscribed to something you never subscribed to?

[Guest DaveW]

Hi Annie,

The email I got from Facebook said if you don't want Facebook to allow your e-mail to be used click on "unsubscribe". I clicked on that and it took me to a Facebook page for unsubscribing which said click on "confirm" to stop your e-mail address being used on Facebook. That I did. The persons name in the e-mail wanting me for a friend (Paul Morris) I did not recognise so where whoever it was got my email address from I do not know. I have never ever been on Facebook or any of those types of sites myself.

DaveW

[annie]

sounds very suss...........!

[Guest DaveW]

Yes am running a virus scan now to make sure.

DaveW

[Denis]

FaceAche

Am I one just one of a few that detest this over rated POS?

[NannyFerret]

Don't click on anything in an email that came to you without your knowledge of the sender.

By clicking unsubscribe, you are telling whoever sent it that your email address is a genuine one and you could lay your PC open to threat, be it scam or spam.

I delete anything that I don't know about and only unsubscribe from things that I know I have subscribed to in the past.

[Guest]

Nanny Ferret has got it in one. They find email addresses by infecting PC's with a virus and harvesting all of the email addresses in some ones contact list. They also hack hotmail accounts and steal email addresses from there. This gives the hackers a huge pile of email addresses that they can sell. Unverified email addresses are cheap. Validated email addresses are far more valuable so they write a program that sends that facebook email to all the email addresses they have and every person that unsubscribes effectively validates their own email address. These addresses are then sold on to spammers. You can now look forward to lots of spam email.

[NannyFerret]

Even though I have always been careful, my hotmail account was closed down and I had to go to the msn site to change my password as someone was sending spam out to people in my msn address book.

I've no had any more trouble, but it just goes to show how clever these people are.

[Guest Salvatore]

Clever the people are ....or gullible we are ?

Come on guys let's get serious......

This sh@t we can do on the mobile !!!!

e-mail scams are decades old.....

70's dudes need to get real......lmfao

[annie]

i never open any email unless i know exactly who/where it came from...

[Guest DaveW]

I must admit I have so far never had much trouble from spam e-mails (thats tempting fate!) and the odd unsolicited one I get from firms I traded with in the past Windows usually sidelines into the Junk folder, plus hopefully the anti-virus checks what is coming in. I routinely take cookies off most weeks using the free version of SuperAntiSpyware since Windows remembers my passwords and automatically logs me onto the sites I use when I open them.

I have had more junk mail from a shopping survey I once filled in than from e-mail since I often get about three prize draws a week from charities, but I make it a rule that I will only give to collectors in the street and not anything unsolicited by post, so all that goes straight into my shredder. I am afraid charities rather shot themselves in the foot regarding myself by employing expensive promotion firms who are now also creaming money off the top rather than it going to good causes, since they now don't just ask for a contribution, but a set sum like £20 or or more.

Perhaps we should now be more concerned with Social Networking web sites like Facebook and sites like Google sharing our personal information with firms to target customers, than hackers these days?

http://www.whoswatchingcharlottesville.org/social.html

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_the_public/topic_specific_guides/online/social_networking.aspx

As I say, I never go on Social Networking sites as they are to me mainly populated by "cyber curtain twichers" peering through their online "curtains" to nose into their neignbours and other peoples business to see what other people are up to, thereby living their own lives vicariously!

DaveW

[fuzzyedges]

I usually dump the junk mail unless it has a prepaid envelope, then (after removing any reference to me ) I fill it with as much junk as I can and post it on

Keeps the boys at royal mail busy

[Heather]

As I say, I never go on Social Networking sites as they are to me mainly populated by "cyber curtain twichers" peering through their online "curtains" to nose into their neignbours and other peoples business to see what other people are up to, thereby living their own lives vicariously!

cheers for that Dave lol

personally i use mine for keeping in touch with family and friends that are spread out all over the world ;)

[Guest DaveW]

Think it is only Junk Mail that keeps the Post Office now going Fuzzy since most people now use e-mail if they can rather than paying 10/- in old money (50p) to send a letter second class.

As I recall as a child in the 1940's the postage second class (postcards) was around 2d (= .84 new pence) and it had then taken 100 years for it to double from the original penny post (1d = .42 new pence). In the next 70 years it has increased around 25 times that, and thats with modern communications and transport!

How much longer can the Post Office letter service last? I think letters in the future may simply be considered small packets and part of the more lucrative parcels services springing up.

Ah, but do your family and friends want you keeping an eye on them Heather?

DaveW

Edited December 15, 2012 by DaveW

[NannyFerret]

I like to keep in touch with my ferret owning friends that I have met through the Mercia ferret shows which were held to raise funds for the rescue.

When the rescue closed so did Mercia forum where we all used to log in for a chat about ferrets etc.

I have made some lovely friends who live far and wide, so Facebook keeps those friendships.

We can pm rivately if it,s something that we don't want all in sundry to read.

It's also nice to keep in touch with family who don't live near.

As with everything to do with the net, used sensibly it's good.

Edited December 15, 2012 by NannyFerret

[Black Pearl]

I find Facebook very useful and jolly good fun.

I've loads of people I know through the shop that while I may not be actual friends with I like to keep in touch with and FB is the easiest way to do it.

BT is very good at filtering spam so I'm fairly safe in that respect plus Apple products are still relatively secure so I've little to worry about online.

[Heather]

Ah, but do your family and friends want you keeping an eye on them Heather?

well if they dont they dont add me :)

[colinb]

As I say, I never go on Social Networking sites as they are to me mainly populated by "cyber curtain twichers" peering through their online "curtains" to nose into their neignbours and other peoples business to see what other people are up to, thereby living their own lives vicariously!

DaveW

??? can't say I agree with that and I don't really see much difference between the local camera group I belong to on Facebook and this site, both work well you get back what you put in. I also find it a good way to keep in contact with my friends old and new I have around the world.

If you have not subscribe to it then the email you received is very unlikely to have come from Facebook and as I said at the top of the thread the best thing is to delete it, you could also set up your email account to automatically delete or send to the spam folder any future/similar emails.

[Guest DaveW]

You should set up a ferret Web site similar to this photographic one Nanny? Though seemingly there are many already:-

http://www.britishferretclub.org.uk/

http://www.ferret-world.com/

The problem is that Facebook can be manipulated and many so called "friends" can be fraudulent, plus giving out personal information online, as per my previous UK Government advisory link, can be dangerous. Even loosing some people their jobs if they confess to doing something an employer may not like (heavy drinking, drugs, speeding or pretending to be ill when not to attend say a football match or car rally) plus can get you blacklisted by a possible future employer if you ever have to look for another job.

As has been revealed employers now often search Facebook and similar social media sites in order to blacklist undesirable present or future employees. That in addition to even mentioning you will be away on holiday if you have more or less revealed where you live, since your address could be looked up in the telephone directory and your place burgled whilst you are away.

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/03/21/30-things-you-should-not-share-on-social-media/

As this next ones says even revealing you birth date and where you were born can lead to identity theft:-

http://www.cbsnews.com/8334-505144_162-57373533/6-things-you-should-never-share-on-facebook/

In any case why do people have such an overwhelming desire to share their mundane daily routines and personal habits with the rest of the world, are they looking for sympathy or what?

Also so called numerous "friends" on many celebrity and business sites are fraudulent and just bought:-

http://www.pcworld.com/article/256240/how_companies_buy_facebook_friends_likes_and_buzz.html

http://buyfacebook-fanslikes.com/buy-facebook-friends/

Facebook is different to hobby sites like this since it is frequented by many more people, so revealing personal details on sites like this carries far less risk. It's a bit like computer viruses, the Mac is far less at risk from virus attack not because it is any safer than a PC, in fact some claim it is less, but simply that it is more productive for hackers and criminals to target something used by a majority rather than a tiny minority. Therefore you are far more likely to regret something you reveal on a social networking site than a hobby site like this.

DaveW

[NannyFerret]

I have to admit that I don't like some of the silly comments made by some people on FB and I don't give out my holiday details on there either or when I am going to be out of the house.

[colinb]

Facebook is different to hobby sites like this since it is frequented by many more people, so revealing personal details on sites like this carries far less risk. It's a bit like computer viruses, the Mac is far less at risk from virus attack not because it is any safer than a PC, in fact some claim it is less, but simply that it is more productive for hackers and criminals to target something used by a majority rather than a tiny minority. Therefore you are far more likely to regret something you reveal on a social networking site than a hobby site like this.

DaveW

sorry Dave you are mistaken this site open to view by anyone who can read what you say and post.

I belong to several Facebook sites you cannot view without being a member and you cannot be a member unless you come recommended by other members.

In the same way you would not shout about your personal details in a busy street you should not do so on any open forum as you do not know who will read and re-post elsewhere. The notion that employers spend time trawling Facebook is just plain stupid as most people seldom use their full name and besides there is no need as there is always someone who will stab you in the back and point the finger if it means a leg up the ladder and they have been doing that well before computers were around - and so has identity theft. Facebook and the like are just a modern form of connecting with others and as it morfs and reforms more and more people, businesses, clubs and forums are finding it a very useful tool.

Edited December 16, 2012 by colinb

[NannyFerret]

You should set up a ferret Web site similar to this photographic one Nanny? Though seemingly there are many already:-

We had the Mercia forum mainly for people who adopted ferrets from Mercia and other people who adopted theirs from other rescues.

We have a Ferrety Chat group on Facebook so quite a lot of us have joined to keep in touch with each other.

Edited December 16, 2012 by NannyFerret

[Guest DaveW]

Whilst I agree with you to a certain extent Colin, people often do disclose too much personal information on such sites, or I am sure the government agency in one of my earlier links would not warn against it if it had not happened.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/10304003

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20202935/ns/business-school_inc_/t/job-candidates-getting-tripped-facebook/

Evidently some employers are asking job interviewees to see their Facebook page before hiring them, whether the page is private or not. Oh course they could refuse, but would they then get the job since some reason would be found why they were not suitable.

http://pad4414staffing.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/job-candidates-getting-tripped-up-by.html

http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/education/medical-students/UMEd/nxgen/JournalClubMAR9ar1.pdf

From the link below:-

"Using personal details gathered from publicly available web sites, today’s cyber criminals can launch phishing emails to specific individuals that dramatically increase the attack’s success. The Anti-Phishing Working Group reports a substantial increase in phishing attacks focused on high value targets, such as personnel with treasury authority.

Is it any wonder that major corporations have begun to deploy policies that prohibit employees from participating in blog discussions and social media sites? Even when employees are off premises, companies insist that their employees are “still bound by the company’s confidentiality policies.”

Perhaps such policies are draconian. But they might be increasingly necessary responses to the dangers of personal information now available on social media sites to marketers and cyber criminals alike."

"The following chronology highlights the rapid unveiling of Facebook information about its users:

In 2005, Facebook users could view each others’ personal information only if they belonged to at least one group specified by the user. Two years later, ‘public information’ on Facebook included the user’s name, school (Facebook started as a service for college students), and profile photo.

By December 2009, publicly available information on Facebook included the user’s name, profile photo, list of friends and pages the user is a fan of, gender, geographic region, and networks. Third-party search engines had access and were actively indexing every bit of it. If you have any doubt, visit www.youropenbook.org.

Given this level of information available to the general public, it’s no wonder that cyber crime remains a growth industry. The Internet Crime Complaint Center recently reported that Americans lost about $559 million to Internet thieves in 2009 – more than twice the 2008 figure, when $268 million was stolen over the Internet.

Perhaps that explains why Google Trends recently reported that “DELETE FACEBOOK ACCOUNT” was the ninth most popular U.S. request. I believe there’s more going on at Facebook than meets the eye, and that financial institutions should watch carefully."

http://www.cocc.com/facebook-privacy-crime.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/6968320/Half-of-employers-reject-potential-worker-after-look-at-Facebook-page.html

http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/04/18/survey-37-of-your-prospective-employers-are-looking-you-up-on-facebook/

In the recent riots the police and others were scanning Facebook, so don't you think other public authorities like the Tax Man etc are?

http://taxadvicenetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/hmrc-investigating-posts-on-social.html

http://www.digitaldesign.co.uk/latest/news-and-comment/police-receive-training-in-using-facebook-to-catch-criminals.aspx

I agree, employees often shop each other. I used to work in an industry (the building trade) that always operated a black list, and always will by using word of mouth instead of traceable communications so the authorities cannot prove it's existence. I remember a bricklayer when I was a young apprentice warning my then employer to not employ another chap that had come for a job because he had caused trouble on another firm.

Legislation to stop people prying into other peoples posts on social media will never stop people doing it and certainly public sector organisations are often exempt from such legislation.

Just be careful what you say online, even to your closest friends as you never know who will eventually get access to it. The point is the sites the most people use will be the ones most investigated and monitored. Few employers are going to ask to see your TIPF postings when you go for a job interview, but they may your Facebook ones.

DaveW