Regarding Facebook I have mine set up pretty much as private. I don't allow friends of friends to be able to access me or ask for an invite. I post pretty liberally on there but the only one's that can read what I have is if I opted for them to be able to access it.

As for eBay I've been on there since it opened it's doors labor day 1995 and it is a safe place to be if we follow the rules they have in place to protect us. No one on there can contact me unless they have a transaction going with me via eBay. I NEVER WOULD start or continue with emails outside of eBay with anyone no matter what. IMHO it's a place of business and not for personal use and should stay that way.

As far as stalking goes back in 2005 and 2006 I was stalked online for those two years because of my relationship with a direct selling company. One of the gals in the company did not like me at all and she made my life a living hell. I had to first go to my local police with all documentation and file against her. It was than forwarded to her state and the detectives there took charge of it. By the time they were done with her she pretty much disappeared off that companies website, on facebook and the yahoogroups and such I was on.

Personally there is no way that I will get all that friendly with folks online outside of groups I belong to and if I did that person would be checked out before I communicated with them via private email.

Regarding the eBay incident mentioned here by the OP I would recommend you report it to eBay and make them aware of it. If he did it to one he'll do it to others.

Regarding eBay I won't deal with a seller unless I check them out first by pulling there user info and making sure they are who they say they are. In the last 16.5 years being on eBay I've only found about 5 or 6 who were not who they stated they were after checking there user info.

These are the very reasons we don't facebook. Our kids think we are crazy but we just want to be safe. My daughter told me the other night that we were the only ones in the family that didn't do facebook. I guess we will just have to be left out of the family loop because we will not do facebook.

I am always warning my kids about the creeps out there on the internet and now it's easy to see how someone could prey on them too. I know for myself, I am not a skeptical person and so that isn't my first thought. You have me changing all my info online. Thanks for the heads up.

Monroe- there is a way to get around fb if there are pictures of you on there that you don't want there.First ask that person to remove them and if they don't you can contact fb and they will handle it .Hubby did this and he has no fb page.Relatives should understand you want YOUR privacy and they should respect you enough to give it to you .

bless your heart--this is why so many of us even on the quilt board don't list locations, details, etc. i have even curbed activities on things like ancestry.com, ellis island.com, etc because anybody with half a brain can find out details about anyone online, and then check sites like those to find out things like your mother's maiden name, your father's employer, etc. while i love that we can research online, we have to be so very careful about the info we post, or that we share.

when i teach my students in anesthesia, i kiddingly, but half seriously tell them, "cultivate your paranoia. it will be your best friend." in medical terms, it just means that if something doesn't feel right, pay attention to it immediately. in life, same thing. be careful, folks. be very careful!

right on!!

Thanks so much for this article and forum. I've emailed it to daughters and friends. It's so easy to let your guard down.

Wow - that's really creepy.

I said to my DH the other day that we should get rid of our bank accounts, credit cards, loans, etc. All those things that require we disclose too much about ourselves. He told me I'd gone over the edge.

If you would like to scare the dickens out of yourself just read "The Broken Window" by Jeffrey Deaver. There is a ton of truth in this book.

ok I went to google and put in my name. I have a fairly common name and so a lot popped up. I looked at the different sites offered and selected the one that said it would give my address and other information. It was very scary. It not only tells the town I live it but it gives my education, interests, financial status, wealth status, etc. It was very scary. It gives only rough information but if you want specific it would only cost $2.95. So I guess it doesn't matter what you don't put out there. They can get information from all kinds of places. This is indeed scary. They even show who lives in my home although my SIL has since passed away and my kids have moved back in..the site is called spokeo. They probably should have named it spookeo.

Oh and I forgot. They also will show you pictures of me and videos if I have put any on the internet for that small fee.

I am trying to delete my Facebook and it is very hard to ever get off. Unfortunately the information is already out there. One of my friends is getting my profile, picture and name that comes up on her computer from Facebook and says click here to reach me. She does and my phone rings only once so I can't answer. I wrote her an email and asked what was going on. She is 95, hearing impaired, as well as not walking well and doesn't even use Facebook. Weird, watch out.

MacThayer - I agree with you! I don't bother with anyone coupons that require me to "like them" on Facebook. I am so tired of contests and other things that require you to go through Facebook. With all the bad publicity it is getting, I don't understand why manufacturers using it and other organizations!

Jcrow - I am so sorry about your experience. Thanks so much for the timely warning for all of us.

I have had a Facebook account that I haven't used in over a year. I will be closing it today!

You really need to call the Ebay contact #...this is something they need to know about.

I have a Facebook account, and the e-mail address I use for Facebook is the one that receives a ton of "spam" e-mails. So they try to convice us our information is secure, but it really isn't. Technology can be wonderful, but scary at the same time.

This is so sad. I too am going to change my QB page. I spent about an hour the other day just reading and enjoying our members profiles. Now I am sad I can't read about ya'll. It is nice to get to know each
other.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!

I definitely stay away from most of these social networks because of the information that can be found.

I must tell you all, I don't even go facebooking or twittering, My thoughts are my own except as posted on this board, which I feel is relatively secure.:)

Just a quick question on the original post. 'Rudy' is a man's name, usually short for Rudolph. Did this chatty guy tell you he was a guy or a girl? Or just imply it?

I don't have a problem with my bio or email or address or whatever on my company website, but I would surely avoid offering anything in the way of financial information, or membership in sites which would imply you have an interesting amount of liquid assets waiting to be exploited.

I think that 'liking' products is free advertising plus free marketing info for the manufacturers and on that basis alone should be avoided!

Thanks for posting. You might try one of those companies which purports to 'scrub' or delete your on-line info which you no longer want on line.

Thanks for the reminder to protect our information.

I am on facebook but didn't use my current name or post a picture. My husband goes and adds my picture to his facebook. I could ring his neck. My neices and two step-grandaughters post all kinds of pictures and information about themselves which I would not share with the general public. It worries me that the younger generation is so niave. I am going to try the Google thing about searching my name. I wrote a column in our local paper for about ten years more than ten years ago. People still mention it to me when they see me in public and I live in a suburb of a small town.

I guess one can't be too careful. Glad that you're alright.

I just Googled myself and the only place I found me was on a quilting site where I posted a wallhanging I made as a memto of my first trip to Alaska. Ironic isn't it. I did find my daughter on Google, she shares my first name. It didn't have her married name but it did have her location. That worries me. I hope her husband is a good defender.

Glad you're alright. Sounds like that was scary. You read about this stuff and think it doesn't happen to us, but then we hear this and realize it DOES happen to us. As we get older, too, we become a target for the 'scumbags' and need to really be more aware of our surroundings in the stores, shopping centers, parking lots, wherever. DH and I taught defensive driving and one section in there, I really plugged the awareness situation. I'm a senior citizen, but some of these people were old enough to be my parents. I have a facebook page, but have been trying to figure out for some time how to turn it off and 'resign' from facebook. So far, no luck. I'll keep trying though - limit all the information out there on me. Think this board is relatively safe.

I have my Facebook tied to a seldom used email account and have a minimum of info on there. You can set up another account just for liking businesses.

Never put correct info on any online profile. I have fun and make up good ones. I may be a female wrestler or a hummingbird breeder. LOL. My phone number may be local cemetery or hear the movie showing recordings. I use free email addresses for any online public postings. DH uses made up profiles too. When I first started using the internet years ago, I took a class on the internet and we were told never ever to post any personal info online. Once posted it is always there.

Wow, I am changing my info right now. Thanks for the information.

Very, very true! I have several friends who ask, "Do you have Facebook yet?"...I always give the same answer, "NO, and I won't ever be on Facebook..sorry I'm old, and actually for that matter so are they!!" LOL...
Kif

Didn't the name Rudy give you a clue that it was probably a man? Just asking. G

Sorry this happened to you.I always think when I read about this kind of thing, how much good these warped people could do if they didn't choose the road they do. So far I haven't had too may weird emails. Getting a few through lately about making money at home. Although they are annoying I just delete them. Have only had two about helping people get there money out of some foreign country. Not too bad in almost 5 years.
My daughter clicked on a link when she was in a hurry and $2000 disappeared from her account. Thankfully she caught it and her bank covered her loss.
We shred anything with our name or address on it before putting it in the bin even medication boxes. DH thinks I'm a bit of a security Nazi but I would rather be safe than sorry.
As for facebook I will never join - too many nasty things happen there.

Hi,
I don't worry about it, because in our society, privacy is an illusion. If you have a GPS, or an EZ Pass, they can tell how fast you are driving between tolls and send you a ticket. You can be tracked by your cell phone. I am just careful what I put online but I think it is totally random who has problems and who doesn't. Nothing I can really do. :(

Thanks for the very valuable information. Nothing is private anymore. Very scary.

Be careful when taking pictures with your phone camera too. Phones have a GPS tracker and a stalker can get your location from the picture. If you want to post pics of your quilts I would use a regular digital camera not one on your phone.

I too, have had scary situations. I was stalked by an ex fiance long before it became a crime. And another time my husband received a call from someone threatening me if he didn't pay him. What the caller didn't know was my DH is a former police officer. He found out the guy was calling from a prison. How he got our phone number I'll never know. There's too much info out on the net. It pays to be careful.

Thanks for sharing this info - it's scary and I know I'll be more careful now....

Like you say it is scary but really we can't become paranoid.

So what exactly was threatening in the exchange, other than belatedly realizing that Rudy was a guy and not a gal? I feel like I'm missing information or just not getting the point of the original post.

As for facebook-- set your profile to private. Never put your phone or home address anywhere on FB, and don't friend anyone you don't know from real life venues. Problem solved.

Going all reactionary and scared about the internet is a little silly, really. Most of that information has long been available in public records, accessible to anyone who knew how to use a library or a city hall. Only difference is that now it's easier to do from home.

RST

RST

And isn't facebook going to publish soon?