Facebook Crooks

By drodriguez Aug 10, 2010

With social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook we can all be clued in to what our loved ones are doing at any time of day or night. Whether it be something as mundane as a visit to the grocery store or as exciting as the birth of a new baby, we can follow our friends and families lives like never before. But what if we’re not the only ones keeping track of our friends?

A new website called PleaseRobMe has drawn a lot of attention to sites like Twitter and Facebook and questions how safe it is for people to share such private information for the world to see. And after an Indiana woman was recently robbed by a Facebook “friend” prior to updating her status to say she was away on vacation, it is no wonder this has become an issue.

PleaseRobMe was created as a way to draw attention to the subject and show the public just how easy it would be for house thieves to find out when someone will be away on vacation by simply reading a status that might say something like, “Can’t wait to leave for our two-week-long vacation this Friday!” and rob their house.

Though they are no longer displaying this type of information, PleaseRobMe was posting information that they easily retrieved from Twitter and Facebook users who were away from their homes and put it up on their website as a way to display “opportunities” for thieves to rob homes. Though the site was meant to send a satirical message about how what was once private information has become incredibly public, some people are taking it a little more seriously and are not happy with the information the site was displaying.

What do you think of the message PleaseRobMe is sending?

Will you be more careful the next time you update your Facebook or Twitter status?

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Comments

by MadHatter | Whitestone , NY

Aug 12, 2010

sadly Facebook has suddenly turned into a lame popularity contest. i know some of my friends, they have over 600+ people as her "friends" on facebook. i asked her if she really knows them all or talk to them, she told me she just adds or approves of whoever adds her or whoever she just meet recently. yes, lets just add people you might not ever see or talk to again. really safe.

by lilmama13 | Big lake, MN

Aug 11, 2010

Definitly common sense and knowing who your "friends" are on facebook!

by annabail | ft worth, TX

Aug 11, 2010

We're just getting to this in our home. My fourteen year old has just opened a Facebook account and I'm worried sick of the things that she may encounter. She knows the rules that we've set out for her and hopefully she'll follow them.....wish us luck!!

by kittenvalour | Newark, OH

Aug 11, 2010

I think it just take a bit of common sense...I do have a Facebook and a MySpace but I use it to actually chat with friends and family (or play some of the games, cuz they're addictive) but I never post if I'm going somewhere... I post usually how my day has been...

by babsywabs | Notre Dame, IN

Aug 11, 2010

MadHatter, I am with you 100%! My family and friends are amazed that I not interested in keeping up to date with them via Facebook. Frankly, the drivel that I see posted when I look over my husband's shoulder makes me glad that I never joined. My privacy is much more important than hearing that 'Mary just went to the kitchen to make a sandwich', or 'John is watching his favorite show!' Call me old-fashioned, but I just am not interested.

by MadHatter | Whitestone , NY

Aug 11, 2010

and THAT is probably one of the reasons why i hate social networking.

by MyEmptyCanvas | KOSCIUSKO, MS

Aug 10, 2010

I haven't been to that, but if it's displaying what's already public then people need to not get mad, but get careful of what they say and do. I never write that type of stuff on my social networking pages anyway. I thought about this years ago for anything online. Why would anyone want to publicly display that stuff anyway? Don't people talk on the phone anymore. At least that way you're only telling those you truly trust, not those that you added as friends just because you somewhat knew them in the past or went to school with them, but don't know jack about them.On that note, people need to reevaluate who they consider "friends" too.

by BMcAfee27 | Shipman, IL

Aug 10, 2010

I have actually thought about this numerous times when updating my status!!! After reading this article I will be EXTRA careful with what I say!!!