BE CAREFUL about what you include in your profile on social-networking sites as the information could lead to identity theft.
According to a study by British software-security firm Webroot, one third of social networkers have at least three pieces of information visible on their profiles that could expose them to identity theft, PC World reported.
The study found that 59 per cent of Britons are unsure of who can see their profile, while 78 per cent have profiles that are visible in a Google search.
These are in spite of 78 per cent of them saying they worry about the privacy of information put up on their social-networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace.
According to PC World, the study found that 36 per cent of respondents said they did not hide any of their personal information from people viewing their profiles. Twenty-eight per cent said they accepted "friend requests" from strangers.
And what about passwords? A third of them said they used the same passwords for all of their online accounts.
Mr Mike Kronenberg, chief technology officer of Webroot's consumer business, told PC World: "The growth of social networks presents hackers with a huge target.
The amount of time spent on communities like Facebook last year grew at three times the rate of overall Internet growth."
Mr Kronenberg added that users of social-networking sites should protect themselves by being aware of such risks, as well as how not to expose themselves to such threats.
