A gift to scammers: why you should probably keep your birthday a secret
Summary
Cybersecurity experts warn that scammers can combine birthdays stolen in data breaches with names, addresses, phone numbers and other details to make fraud attempts more convincing. They advise leaving birthday fields blank on retail websites when possible, using a false date on low-risk sites if required, and sharing real birth dates only when an organization needs to verify identity or age.Key Facts
- A breach at online retailer Asos exposed customers’ dates of birth, according to the article.
- Experts say a date of birth can help scammers impersonate people or make phishing messages seem more credible when combined with other personal information.
- Scammers may combine breach data with leaked credentials, phone numbers, public social media information, employment details and relatives’ information.
- A survey by scam investigator Alexandre François found that eight of 14 retailers asked for a date of birth during sign-up.
- Experts recommend leaving nonessential personal fields blank and using a separate email address for online shopping.
- The article says real birth dates are needed in some cases, including financial, government, identity and age checks.
- If a retailer requires a birthday, François suggests using the same date across retailers so it is easier to remember.
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