Users of social networking websites could face higher insurance premiums because burglars are using them to 'shop' for victims' personal details. Experts from leading insurer Legal & General warn that parents could eventually see their premiums rise even if only their children are members of popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Many of the millions of users of these sites post details about their home, whereabouts and holiday plans on them - effectively an invitation to a burglar. The warning comes in the wake of a report called The Digital Criminal, commissioned by Legal & General and prepared by reformed thief Michael Fraser, star of the BBC's Beat The Burglar series.
Mr Fraser said: 'There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to identify likely targets. They gain confidence by learning more about them, what they are likely to own and when they are likely to be out of the house. I call it "internet shopping for burglars". It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, and then scope out more information on their actual home using other internet sites like Google Street View, all from the comfort of the sofa.'
A burglar might look out for alarms or security lighting on any pictures of the home, as well as any photos of pet dogs who might be guarding it. There are now 8.5 million Facebook users in the UK and at least 2.4 million Twitter users.
Graham Cluley of web security firm Sophos said: 'It is staggering what people are putting on the web. 'Our research shows that 41 per cent of people are divulging personal and private information to complete strangers on Facebook, such as their date of birth, where they worked, where they lived and what they were doing.
People are boasting about how they are having a fantastic time on a beach in Mexico on a web page that has their home address. 'Criminals who put together the jigsaw can use it for identity theft or burglary. It is just as dangerous as leaving your windows or doors open at home.'
The Digital Criminal report, which polled 2,000 social network users, found that nearly four in ten had posted online updates detailing their holiday plans. One in seven had seen other users' home addresses posted on pages that could be viewed by strangers.
Teenagers are the worst when it comes to giving away personal information, with nearly two-thirds of 16 to 24-year-olds sharing their holiday plans online. But the report found that nearly half of all respondents were unconcerned about the security of social networking sites. In an experiment, 100 friend requests were issued to strangers selected at random.
On Twitter, 92 per cent accepted the stranger as a friend, as did 13 per cent of Facebook users, potentially allowing the stranger to learn about that person's interests, location and movements. Plans being considered by Legal & General include questioning customers about whether any of their family members belong to any social networking sites.
But yesterday privacy groups accused insurers of using the popularity of social networking sites as an excuse to increase premiums. Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, said: 'This is a disgraceful attempt to leverage yet more from customers.'
Malcolm Cooper, director of pricing and underwriting at Legal & General, admitted: 'It's a challenging one for the insurance industry. Just because someone is burgled, you can't prove that it's down to details posted on Facebook.
'It could be that we start asking how many youngsters are in the home for example.' Burglaries rose in 2008-09 for the first time in six years. Police recorded 284,445 house break-ins, up 1 per cent on the previous year.
Deputy Chief Constable of Cheshire Graeme Gerrard said: 'People should make use of the security facilities available on social networking sites to restrict access to their personal information and do their best to protect themselves while online by using firewalls and the like.
Many of the millions of users of these sites post details about their home, whereabouts and holiday plans on them - effectively an invitation to a burglar. The warning comes in the wake of a report called The Digital Criminal, commissioned by Legal & General and prepared by reformed thief Michael Fraser, star of the BBC's Beat The Burglar series.
Mr Fraser said: 'There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to identify likely targets. They gain confidence by learning more about them, what they are likely to own and when they are likely to be out of the house. I call it "internet shopping for burglars". It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, and then scope out more information on their actual home using other internet sites like Google Street View, all from the comfort of the sofa.'
A burglar might look out for alarms or security lighting on any pictures of the home, as well as any photos of pet dogs who might be guarding it. There are now 8.5 million Facebook users in the UK and at least 2.4 million Twitter users.
Graham Cluley of web security firm Sophos said: 'It is staggering what people are putting on the web. 'Our research shows that 41 per cent of people are divulging personal and private information to complete strangers on Facebook, such as their date of birth, where they worked, where they lived and what they were doing.
People are boasting about how they are having a fantastic time on a beach in Mexico on a web page that has their home address. 'Criminals who put together the jigsaw can use it for identity theft or burglary. It is just as dangerous as leaving your windows or doors open at home.'
The Digital Criminal report, which polled 2,000 social network users, found that nearly four in ten had posted online updates detailing their holiday plans. One in seven had seen other users' home addresses posted on pages that could be viewed by strangers.
Teenagers are the worst when it comes to giving away personal information, with nearly two-thirds of 16 to 24-year-olds sharing their holiday plans online. But the report found that nearly half of all respondents were unconcerned about the security of social networking sites. In an experiment, 100 friend requests were issued to strangers selected at random.
On Twitter, 92 per cent accepted the stranger as a friend, as did 13 per cent of Facebook users, potentially allowing the stranger to learn about that person's interests, location and movements. Plans being considered by Legal & General include questioning customers about whether any of their family members belong to any social networking sites.
But yesterday privacy groups accused insurers of using the popularity of social networking sites as an excuse to increase premiums. Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, said: 'This is a disgraceful attempt to leverage yet more from customers.'
Malcolm Cooper, director of pricing and underwriting at Legal & General, admitted: 'It's a challenging one for the insurance industry. Just because someone is burgled, you can't prove that it's down to details posted on Facebook.
'It could be that we start asking how many youngsters are in the home for example.' Burglaries rose in 2008-09 for the first time in six years. Police recorded 284,445 house break-ins, up 1 per cent on the previous year.
Deputy Chief Constable of Cheshire Graeme Gerrard said: 'People should make use of the security facilities available on social networking sites to restrict access to their personal information and do their best to protect themselves while online by using firewalls and the like.
