Posting to Social Media Safely

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Back to School is an exciting time for many kids and parents alike.

The Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio is advising families to beware of posting photos with excessive details on social media, in which scammers could use that information to put your children at risk. 

“With the new school year, parents love the tradition of sharing back to school photos of their kids on social media. And while we all know these are great moments to capture, they can also pose risks if they are not shared carefully. So what happens is parents will unknowingly share their personal details that can be exploited by scammers or predators. Sharing photos on public platforms can increase the risk of identity theft or of unauthorized use of those images,” BBB of Central Ohio President Judy Dollison said.

Any photos shared digitally, even with trusted loved ones through messaging apps can wind up in the wrong hands and be thoroughly scrutinized to find even the most minute details, like house numbers or unique structures in the background can tip predators to where your kids might show up routinely.  

“So what happens is, when you share too much detail about your child, like in a back to school photo and the kids are holding a board with their full name and age and grade level and their school, maybe they’re wearing a school t-shirt; scammers and predators can use this information to commit identity theft, to a predator can use it to earn your child’s trust if they find out how to meet up with them. And it’s information that we all use on, you know passwords and security questions that we have on like our credit cards,” Dollison said.

The BBB suggests reviewing your social media account privacy settings, verifying friend requests and to not accept friend requests from people you’re already friends with. For more information on safe social media practices, you can visit bbb.org.