We've all seen them — the Facebook posts that encourage you to find out your "rockstar" or "secret crush's" name using some combination of personal information, and then urge you to post your new moniker in the comment thread.
But while some may think these posts are silly, one Calgary police officer says they can actually be dangerous.
Digital communications officer Const. Jeremy Shaw warned Facebook users Monday that commenting on those posts can make you a target for hackers, because little details like your first pet or your childhood best friend are the same ones used for security questions on different websites.
"Hackers are setting these up as a get-to-know-each-other-better game," he wrote. "They then build a profile of you from several different data sources. They use this data to hack your accounts or open lines of credit in your name."
Shaw has a point — most of us would never post our online passwords publicly, but we're leaving the clues to unlock our accounts right out in the open.
He warned the public to "think before you share this garbage on social media."
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