Is The Mob Using Your Facebook Profile Against You?

from the nice-profile-you-got-there...-wouldn't-want-anything-to-happen-to-it... dept

Mon, Sep 29th 2008 4:20am — Mike Masnick

Over the years, of course, there have been plenty of stories about potential dates and potential employers reviewing social networking profiles to learn more about someone. Then, we just had a story about some universities reviewing social networking profiles as part of the admissions process. But the latest story is that organized crime may be getting into the game as well. A former FBI agent is claiming that both the Italian and Russian mobs are using social networking profiles to "launch attacks" on individuals and businesses. Of course, the details seem really, really slim. About the only thing the guy says is that if your CV/resume is online, that can be used against you -- but that's hardly a "social networking" problem. Plus, in many cases, that's pretty public information. This sounds like a lot more scare mongering than anything to necessarily worry about right now. In the meantime, though, are we going to start seeing Twitter messages from mobsters? "Nice list of followers you've got here... wouldn't want to see anything happen to them..."

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Filed Under: mafia, mob, organized crime, social networks

11 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 29 Sep 2008 @ 5:27am

Witness Protection
Only way it could be useful to the mob IMO. Worse, if you are in witness protection your kid could potentially get you all killed if you don't know how to monitor all of that to keep your kid off it.

Always wondered why folks who go into Witness Protection have kids. I mean if you already had the kid fine but why bring them in if there is a good chance you're gonna be a smear?
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JustMe, 29 Sep 2008 @ 6:08am

Funny Twitter Joke, Mike
n/t
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Uday Shankar, 29 Sep 2008 @ 6:20am

Is Mike Masnick Working For The Mob?
No, but I'm going to imply that by asking a question as a headline.

Is it really that slow of a news day? I'd rather have you post nothing than post this nonsense. If you've posted something on the internet, someone has probably already seen it and masturbated to it. So all these stories about people viewing your Facebook profile and "using it against you" are really just boring fluff articles.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Sep 2008 @ 6:58am

Re: Is Mike Masnick Working For The Mob?
I disagree, I think it is always good to know that the idiots are claiming dangers in facebook instead of trying to pass laws that really could be dangerous.
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Michial, 29 Sep 2008 @ 7:51am

It has been going on for years
Back in 2003 I was called into my office managers office and almost fired. He had received a "disturbing" phone call, and was concerned.

My office manager told me that the call he received had accused me of offering to sell information collected by my employer about it's customers. The caller claimed I had offered him the names, address, SSNs and even Credit Card information for sale.

Needless to say I am lucky that my boss at least doubted the callers claim. It resulted in several weeks suspension while I took Polygraph tests, and worked with the police to catch the caller. After almost 6 weeks we found out that it was a kid that I had kicked off of an RC-Helicopter list I managed at the time. He had gotten pissed an wanted to get back at me.

We found him from the log files of my web server, and thank god he turned out to be someone local...

Since then I quit putting my resume online.
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Alex, 29 Sep 2008 @ 8:19am

Kidnapping in Mexico
Hi,

In Latin America kidnapping has become very commoon and, according to an email that's been circulating for months now, kidnappers are using social networks to find targets. How? They supposedly look for people posting pictures of their trips or their houses.

Not quite the mob but organized crime in the end. What do you think? Does this seem plausible to you?
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Mark K, 29 Sep 2008 @ 8:41am

Re: Is Mike Masnick Working For The Mob?
Yes! Spread the FUD!

If we don't keep people afraid, they may stop relying on us for their breathing privileges.
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Greg, 29 Sep 2008 @ 9:00am

not that hard
I work in data security. We have performed studies which point to the fact that 40-60% of the population's passwords can (easily) be learned or some other way garnered from your social networking/blog pages.
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Guillermo, 29 Sep 2008 @ 11:15am

This was big news in Mexico a couple of weeks ago
I don't know about russian or italian mobs, but there was a big kidnapping case in Mexico involving the kidnapping of the 14 year old son of a known businessman, which ended in the death of the teenager. Several news outlets then started claiming that the kidnappers found about this kid's social status based on the vacation photos he posted on facebook, and warned about the potential risk involved in posting personal information (including trips and social events) on sites that made the information public. Even Facebook created a statement regarding this news on its website. Now, even though the kidnappers were finally arrested, there has been no confirmation to whether they used Facebook or other social network to gather information about the kid.
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Johnny Canada, 29 Sep 2008 @ 12:25pm

Facebook being used to recruit spies
If you look over on CNet

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10053117-71.html?tag=rsspr.6246773&part=rss&subj=news

You can also become a spy using Facebook.

Is it Facbook Bashing Day
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Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 1:26pm

At a recent talk sponsored by one of the largest insurance companies in the US, the speaker made two points he said members of the audience should not forget: (1) stay out of Mexico and (2) stay off Facebook. He said that going onto Facebook is the equivalent of handing out your wallet on a subway car. Facebook sells your personal information and what little they don't sell [yet] is hacked into by teenagers in Europe who are paid to discover whether you are or a member of your family is worth kidnapping. I will remember each of (1) and (2) and you had better too.
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