NORTH PLATTE, Neb.-With schools closed and many parents working from home, students and adults have more time to spend on social media and online in general.
With that in mind, North Platte Chief of Police Daniel Hudson wanted to give parents and students some things to watch out for and keep in mind.
Chief Hudson issued the following statement:
The North Platte Police Department would like to take a minute and discuss some social media safety concerns we have been seeing. As our community remains safely at home, we are seeing several different social media postings asking people to answer different questions about themselves. These are mostly presented as ways to better get to know each other during these crazy times.
The issue that we see is that the questions people are answering are almost verbatim questions about a person’s credit history reports. This is the way credit applications or credit companies verify a person’s identity. If you lock yourself out of an account, there are several questions that are in your credit history, you will be prompted to answer several of these type questions, for instance;
Which of the following jobs have you held? A,B ,C,D…
Which of the following cities have you lived? A,B,C,D…
Which of the following schools have you attended? A,B,C,D…
What other names have you gone by? A,B,C,D…
List four jobs you have had and list one that you haven’t?
These types of questions are on your credit history, so as you pick the answers, the credit company is able to identify you and will then reset your password or pin number on your cards or accounts.
While it appears that these questions are harmless, we believe that you must always protect your personal information, especially during these trying times.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement agency.
Thanks,
Chief Hudson