Fraudsters need just three key bits of information to steal your identity and access your accounts, take out loans, credit cards, mobile phones in your name.
All it takes is a name, date of birth and address – and most of this can be found on social media profiles, such as Facebook. And if your settings are not private, this is available for anyone to see.
A third of British adults with online profiles include their full name and date of birth, according to a YouGov survey.
Younger people are even more likely to display this information.
The survey revealed that 48pc of 18 to 24-year-olds divulge this information on social media sites compared to 28pc for those between 35 and 44.
Even if your date of birth isn't displayed, fraudsters will be able to tell if your friends post birthday messages with reference to your age.
"It's not hard to work out," said John Marsden, head of ID and fraud at Equifax, the credit reference agency.
"The date of birth is a crucial part of identification as it's the only detail that never changes. And once it's posted online, it's out there", said Mr Marsden.
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