to be just the tiniest bit suspicious?

[Mintyy]

We have two threads in active convos tonight:

1. asking for details about your pets and
2. asking what was number 1 on the date you were born

This is probably a coincidence and harmless, but remember to be careful about specific personal info you give out on the internet everyone.

Stay safe out there

The one about the pets is so specific, from memory they want breed name and characteristics. It's very very bizarre.

Oh and GirlonLanding - I can remember the number plates for every single childhood car reg plus my own. Even that of a few friends then again, I do have an unusual memory for numbers...

Did anyone report them?

I gave such stupid answers in both threads I am surprised that no one picked me up on it!

I expect this thread to vanish soon.

Who was it that showed just how easy it was to find identifying information? By searching previous threads and links they were able to find the door number of a random MN member on the thread(with her permission).

They are dull threads too.

I'm going to start mine in aibu

'aibu to think that, as a handsome Nigerian who is heir to a four billion squillion fortune and looking for love, someone would come on and just chat a while about pets and birth dates and account details"

Even I can't get on my online banking as I have forgotten the password and you have to ring the bank to sort it out and I can't be bothered to do that as I am unsure of my telephone banking password too. Oops.

Go on, Pags

I'd never thought of this. I saw a programme the other day about dating sites which were using random pictures off the Internet, just lifted from social network sites. And I would never have imagined that happening. How could anyone use this random MN informaition. Create a database, so you know quite a lot about people. And than what?

Amazon account maybe. Username and password the same.

I agree it sounds suspicious but you'd need a lot more than that to get to the bank account.

Well, the number ones thread is mine. No I'm not trying to steal your identities not particularly interested in anyone's answers I just wanted to share the site I'd stumbled across because I thought it was a good time waster.

Of course your point is valid and no one should overshare.

Oh dear.
I started the pets one as I was genuinely interested because I am nosy.
I never thought about security questions didn't think anyone would be so obvious.

I did it when I was 7, mind you.

It was my cats name.

At 10 I'd moved to my favourite fancible character and my time of birth.

Oh and I have changed my name a number of times.
It was HaveIGotPoosForYou beforehand which you'll see a number of stupid and annoying posts.
I changed it today too as had a typo so I am AintNobodyGotTimeFerThat from yesterday.

:)

I love how people go troll hunting/paranoid on here it's like they are in the CIA or something!

I have so many pets, anyone would run out of attempts before they hacked me (unless they were very jammy!)...

But then, I also have seemingly random number patterns and odd capitalisation on mine. Oh and they're not my pet names anyway. Nobody who didn't know me a decade ago could guess them, even if they were inspired geniuses!

I wonder how many people's email address is their MN username, perhaps with year of birth in there, and their password their first pet's name. Or if not email, then Twitter/Instagram/other site username. In fact, I wonder how many people who posted on that use their pet's name as password for MN?

Once you've cracked a login, you've got their email address. Once you've cracked their email address, you've pretty much got their whole online identity.

I did notice. and I did post, as I use neither for anything remotely secure.

And everyone on here knows my dogs name so its hardly new I information

Buttercup, I can do that with number plates too. It's odd how they stick when not much else does for me

I memorise numbers for work
I memorise numberplates by habit - still know some from when I was a kid (mum of bf from when I was 13 ...)
I memorise phone numbers
I memorise postcodes

for those who are not number minded, street names with numbers slotted in are good
eg

Pr1mr0seR0ad

just make sure its not your current address

I wish I could remember numbers.
I'm terrible with them.
So if you gave me your bank account details, I'd forget in five minutes anyway.
I think I get it from my Mum, who is near numberphobic.
I can just about keep up with an 8 year olds math homework :)

It is scary what you can find on the Internet. A couple of years ago I came across a paper (through work) written by someone with the same name as an old boyfriend of mine. (Fairly common name.) all I could remember about him was his name, his birthday and his hometown. But in verifying he was the same guy I managed to find out all sorts of things about him, with no expertise or experience (other than being able to use google) in under an hour.

Thought it might out me as my pets have unusual names, didnt even think about passwords, well done op.

I gave my.pets names.as my password for stuff is the name of the paint colour in my bedroom

Agree I found it suspect and only shared as I knew it wadnt my security details.