Your clients may view social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn as a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, but you may also want to make them aware of a new reality: revealing too much information via social networks can also make your clients targets for crimes such as identity theft and home burglaries.Victims of identity theft, in particular, can spend up to 500 hours and thousands of dollars trying to repair the damage to credit records and bank accounts, according to TrustedID, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based security firm.

The offender in such crimes is usually someone the victim knows, says Joanna Moore, chief claims officer with Los Angeles-based Mercury Insurance Group: “Sixty-five per cent of the time, [it] isn’t a stranger.”

Social media websites have become a prime breeding ground for thieves to establish connections and extract private information. A survey conducted in September 2011 by Friedland Security, a Britain-based division of Morristown, N.J.-based Honeywell International Inc., reveals that 78% of ex-burglars said they believe social media platforms are being utilized by thieves to target victims for identity and property theft.

Here are some tips from social media security experts on how your clients can avoid becoming victims of cybercrime:

> Limit The Public Nature Of A Profile

If your clients have made their Facebook profile page publicly available, then lots of details about their personal lives — where they went to high school, a list of former employers, favourite bands or restaurants — can be found via a simple Google search.

Clients should decide how searchable they would like to be, says constable Anne Longley, social media officer with the Vancouver Police Department: “The key is to understand the risks of the social network you are using and then adjust the security settings appropriately.”

With many details in a profile open to public view, your clients could be giving thieves the golden nuggets of information they need to commit their crimes.

“Many banks and other [financial services] institutions ask verification questions based on questions such as your pet’s name or your favourite restaurant,” says Gary Bahadur, an information security expert in Miami. With enough due diligence, an identity thief could “scrape” that data from all of a person’s social networks.

Among the tidbits of information your clients should never publicly reveal is their birthday, says Longley: “You might get fewer people saying, ‘Happy birthday’; but you are much more protected online.

> Don’t Accept Every Friend Request

Just because someone sends your client an invitation to become a friend or connection on a social network, that doesn’t mean your client must accept. In fact, the more selective your client is, the better he or she can control his or her information.

“The smaller a social network is,” says Bahadur, “the better grip a client can have on managing his or her connections and prevent someone from taking advantage of his or her personal information.”

Thus, Bahadur suggests separating the connections in a social network into various categories, such as family, friends and acquaintances.

> Review Security Settings Regularly

Securities settings on a social media website such as Facebook change frequently, adds Longley. “Clients should be reviewing and ensuring the information they want to keep private stays private, especially with the website adjusting its settings on a regular basis.”

> Shut Off Your Home Computer While You Are Away

If you or a client is on a trip, disconnect any home Internet connection, as it’s an easy mark for hackers, adds Moore: “Any personal information on your computer could technically be accessed through an open Internet connection. And while you are away, this could be going on without you knowing.”

> Don’t Share News About Big Purchases

Many people may have the temptation to brag about their latest big buy, whether it’s a car or a TV. But sharing that type of information means it could be viewed by people you didn’t intend to share it with, says Longley: “If you don’t have your security settings set up properly, you could be advertising to people you don’t know that you have a new, big-screen TV. Once that information is out there, it could go to anyone, anywhere.”

To prevent posting content that is too revealing, Longley suggests your clients ask themselves the following question when updating their profiles: “Can the information I am sharing potentially be used for criminal activity or misused?”

> Be Careful While On Vacation

In the past, burglars used to watch a target home for mail to pile up in the mailbox. Now, all they need to do is watch status updates and news feeds on Facebook.

Longley also suggests your clients hold off on posting vacation photographs until they get home: “If you are uploading pictures while you are away, it’s like announcing to the whole world you aren’t home.”

You also may want to warn your clients to turn off their location-based applications (such as Foursquare), adds Bahadur: “You could be alerting people to the fact you’re not home without even realizing it.” IE