Social networks and identity theft, case study

Abstract

Computer crimes and social networks are closely related practically since their appearance in the global arena. The fact of exposing personal, family, professional and employment information to practically any person, leaves open the opportunity for malicious people to make improper use of such information and as a consequence, bring with it an affectation to the owner of it. This happens because there is no, on the part of users, a culture of information care on the Internet that is efficient enough to avoid being victims of some type of computer crime. The present investigation shows the relationship between the use of social networks, in particular Facebook, and the identification of some cybercrimes that have been committed using these media, in the case of the crime of identity theft or phishing and its consequences. Based on experiences of people who have been involved in situations of this type, in particular cases discussed with students of the Computer Systems Engineering career, where they express some elements of actions that have been identified as crimes of identity theft. Finally, some recommendations are given to avoid being victims of a cybercrime in the future and to achieve a more responsible use of the information published on the Internet, particularly on social networks.