Facebook and Instagram have been flooded with entertaining quizzes that ask members and followers to answer questions that encourage engagement, such as how old they were on specific dates or events in their lives. People who are starved for attention will eagerly offer the knowledge. Even yet, many social media users are unaware that by joining, they are disclosing personal information such as their date of birth, birthplace, wedding date, and so on.

The comments left under such posts are frequently public, meaning that anybody can see them. By everyone, we mean criminals looking for new ways to commit a crime. Because this information is openly available, the comments section under a hilarious question becomes a gold mine for fraudsters.

Over the years, large organisations have had billions of records stolen, and all hackers need to do is look for the missing piece before they commit identity theft. That missing piece is often found in the comments section. Hackers aren’t just looking for birth dates; they’re also looking for potential answers to security questions like “where did you and your partner first meet?” “What is your favourite food?” “What was the name of your first pet?”

These requests for personal information is often disguised as humorous queries. However, the final piece of the jigsaw might be lurking on your social media comments.

You should never say anything on social media that you wouldn’t yell through the window because you never know who is listening. Fraudsters are becoming more inventive, and they are utilising new methods to acquire access to information that might be beneficial to them… Looking in the comments area of random postings is often a good place to start.

Think twice before posting the model and year of your first vehicle or the year you graduated high school the next time a question appears on your Facebook page, as cybercriminals may be watching your comments. The more you interact and reveal on social media, the more data points (digital prints) you leave for hackers to study and potentially exploit in the future.