CHARLES CITY COUNTY, Va. — The Charles City County Sheriff’s Office and the Crewe Police Department warned the public Saturday about Facebook posts going around in honor of Mother’s Day.
Participants have been putting their children’s names, due dates, birth dates, time of birth, weight, etc., on their Facebook posts and police are warning that putting this information on your page could lead to child identity theft.
According to the Charles City County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook post, police officials warn that:
You have essentially given anyone that views this information a free ticket to create false accounts in your children’s name.
We would simply suggest that you go back to your post and edit or delete it.
Although most of us have our privacy settings set to only friends, remember that the internet is full of programs that can defeat a simple privacy setting.
We do not wish to see you or your child become a victim of identity theft or worse. Although the intention of the Facebook post is to honor the mothers, which we all recognize are the most important people in our lives, we now live in a digital world that allows criminals to steal your information.
Police officials recommend checking your children’s names when doing credit check. And, if you feel you have been a victim, please contact the three credit bureaus and your local law enforcement agencies.
