PETALING JAYA: Crooks are cashing in on personal details readily revealed by soe !

acebook
"sers and "sing the in identity #ra"ds$ blackail or to %steal& oney #ro "sers'
(ver)e*cited online social net+ork "sers +ho reveal personal in#oration and accept %#riendship&
re,"ests #ro coplete strangers have ade the site an increasingly pop"lar target #or
cybercriinals'
-any "sers$ especially beginners$ e*perience c"lt"re shock +hen they s"ddenly becoe %pop"lar&
and receive any #riendship re,"ests$ said criinologist and -alaysian Association o# Certi#ied !ra"d
E*ainers president .at"k Akhbar /atar'
%They #eel enco"raged to reveal
ore in#oration abo"t theselves
+itho"t realising the daage it
co"ld ca"se$& he said$ adding that
any "sers even posted se*y or
n"de pict"res o# theselves on the
+ebsite and ended "p being
blackailed by coplete strangers'
Akhbar said the practice o# posting
personal details s"ch as birth
dates$ addresses and telephone
n"bers on the +ebsite had
proven to be the so"rce o# a
l"crative b"siness #or identity
#ra"dsters'
%The crie triangle coprises
eleents o# desire$ target and
opport"nity' (nce there is a desire
to coit the crie$ the criinal identi#ies the target and opport"nity' This is +here !acebook coes
in$& he said'
According to Socialbakers.com$ a +ebsite dedicated to global !acebook statistics$ there are c"rrently
0$123$145 !acebook "sers in -alaysia alone$ +hich is 62'278 o# the entire pop"lation'
Yo"ths bet+een the ages o# 91 and :7 #ored the a;ority o# -alaysian "sers < 618 < +hile the
yo"ngest gro"p$ aged bet+een 96 and 97$ akes "p 28 o# "sers' The gender ratio o# -alaysians on
!acebook is alost e,"al < +ith 768 o# the being #eale'
=ackers operating on social net+orks can easily create #ake pro#iles and send #riendship re,"ests to
"ns"specting "sers +ithin their target gro"ps' -any "sers have becoe victis o# identity #ra"ds$
harassent$ blackail and have lost oney thro"gh vario"s scas operated via the +ebsite'
There have also been reports o# gangs and dr"g syndicates in -alaysia recr"iting ebers thro"gh
!acebook and other social net+orks' The criinals> ;ob is ade easier as the nae and pro#ile
pict"re o# the "ser is visible to all via the +ebsites> de#a"lt privacy settings'
%?nlike cries coitted in the physical +orld$ cyber cries re,"ire little or no investent$& said
Akhbar$ adding that s"ch cries +ere also di##ic"lt to detect'
Only add friends you know, says help centre
PETALING JAYA: Cyber/ec"rity -alaysia chie# e*ec"tive o##icer Lt Col @AtdB ="sin JaCri has advised
!acebook "sers to never approve a %#riend re,"est& "nless they kno+ +ho the person is'
=e said a total o# 359 cases o# criinal activities involving !acebook +ere reported to the Cyber000
=elp Centre last year$ +ith 4:8 related to harassent$ ::8 #or hacked or coproised acco"nts
and 78 related to identity #ra"d'
%(nly share photographs$ videos and in#oration that yo" +ant to ake p"blic as there is a good
chance that it +ill spread beyond yo"r control$& he said$ adding that "sers sho"ld c"stoise their
privacy settings so that only %real #riends& co"ld access their in#oration'
="sin called on parents to onitor their children>s> !acebook acco"nts'
%Talk to the abo"t +hat sho"ld and sho"ld not be posted online and enco"rage the to report
essages that ake the "nco#ortable$& he said$ adding that "sers +ho #aced online threats and
incidents co"ld contact the at cyber999@cybersecurity.my'
.espite n"ero"s reports o# #ra"d and scas on !acebook$ -alaysians are still naive and keep
aking the sae istakes'
-CA P"blic /ervices and Coplaints .epartent head .at"k -ichael Chong said people sho"ld
realise the dangers o# revealing too "ch personal in#oration on the site'
=e said they had received any coplaints #ro yo"ng +oen +hose rep"tations +ere tainted by
c"lprits +ho hacked into their acco"nts and stole their private photographs'
1. What advice was given to Facebook users?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2. What should the parents do to keep their children safe?
Facing up to security issues on Facebook
By !"#$% !"$&
PETALING JAYA: Dary o# the high n"ber o# cries carried o"t thro"gh social net+orking +ebsites$
any yo"ng -alaysians do take preca"tions to ens"re their sa#ety and privacy'
Calista Dei !en Leah Lie+ said that !acebook is iportant #or +ork contacts and to keep in to"ch
+ith #riends overseas'
%There are al+ays risks to p"tting yo"r personal in#oration online'
%It is iportant to take preca"tions by not "ploading revealing photos o# yo"rsel#$& Calista$ :6$ said'
/he is very care#"l abo"t privacy and never p"blishes her phone n"ber online'
%I can even ad;"st y settings on +hat in#oration or photos y #riends co"ld see on y pro#ile$& she
said' Calista said she +ill not stop "sing !acebook despite sec"rity and sa#ety iss"es'
/aantha Alina D"l## said it is iportant to protect yo"rsel# #ro in#oration phishing'
The :9)year)old said that yo"ng -alaysians sho"ld be ca"tio"s abo"t +hat they p"blish beca"se yo"
never kno+ +ho ight be is"sing !acebook'
%I# soeone is acting s"spicio"sly$ ;"st delete the$& /aantha said'
Tinesh Daren Nagendran$ :6$ does not add people he does not kno+ to his #riends list on !acebook'
%I do p"blish y phone n"ber b"t do not approve people I do not kno+$& he said'
=e "rged people to rethink the "se o# the %Places& application +hich allo+s people to Echeck)in> +ith
their iPhone or any obile +eb bro+ser'
A#ter they have Echecked)in>$ people +o"ld kno+ +here they are at a certain point o# tie'
%I have a #riend +ho checks in +henever she "ses p"blic transport and I think that this application +ill
ake girls +ho "se the an easy target #or stalkers$& he said' According to /ocialbakers'co$ a
+ebsite dedicated to global !acebook statistics$ 618 o# -alaysian !acebook "sers are yo"th aged
bet+een 91 and :7'
A' Focab"lary: Jot do+n the ne+ +ords yo" have discovered in the articles' Grie#ly describe +hat their
eanings'
9' crooks:HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 2'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
:' #ra"ds:HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 1'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
6' HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 0'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
3' HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH95'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
7' HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 99'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
4' HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 9:HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
G' Dhat are the %dangers& being described by Article 9I
9'Criinals are stealing personal in#oration #ro !acebook "sers
:'Criinals "se the in#oration to blackailJsteal oneyJ identity #ra"ds'
6'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
3'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
7'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
4'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
2'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
1'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
0'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
95'HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
C' ?se the notes above to +rite a paragraph abo"t the dangers o# "sing !acebook' Yo" ay start like this:
Criinals are stealing personal in#oration #ro !acebook "sers andK