In my recent investigations into how best to use social media, I stumbled across a search engine called pipl that lists the sites where you have a presence.

I was surprised at how many other Paul Whybrows there are around the world, and also reminded about several sites I’d joined years ago, but never used.

I sent the link to my friends, and one was alarmed to discover that her identity, or at least her photograph, had been used to create Twitter and Facebook accounts that are nothing to do with her; she’s attempting to get them taken down.

It’s worth noting, that social media accounts are the criminal’s friend. People are way too honest in what they tweet, for example. There have been several cases where celebrities blithely announced that they were away for two weeks, sunning themselves in the Caribbean, only to return home to find their home had been burgled.

A friend was contacted by police authorities in Australia, after five mortgage applications were fraudulently made in her name, using information culled from her social media accounts. The crime turned out to be part of an international operation based in Singapore. She now lies on her accounts, giving inaccurate birthdates and wrong spellings of her names.

Employers examine job applicants’ social media activity.

It’s not just Big Brother who’s watching you…it’s everyone!