I am deeply suspicious of the number of threads asking for personal details.

[KickAssAngel]

Over the last few weeks I've noticed several threads asking people for information which does it in a kind of 'just getting to know you' sort of way, but does mean that people are giving out personal information.

A while ago there was one asking people if their friends' names were typical of the dates they grew up - so people were inadvertently giving out enough info to narrow down date of birth to within a year or two, and potentially their best friend's name, a common security question.

there have been ones about middle names, and just various ones along the lines of 'AIBU to ask you what your favorite TV programme was as a child?"

In fact - all the kind of info that people use for their security questions for banks etc.

Yes, I could alert MNHQ to each of them, but that wouldn't get the word across to everyone that there seems to be a lot of digging going on right now, so be careful what info you share online.

MN is NOT a cosy little club full of trusted members who know each other. The questions may be a genuine person wanting to chat, or they could be a cunning plot to get info about people and start working out the answers to their security questions.

And if any/all of them are from genuine people just wanting to chat and get to know others - I apologize for my cynical stance, but even if the OP is genuine, people reading the answers may not be.

Yanbu at all op. Perhaps mnhq should post a reminder along these lines on any chat thread that seeks out these sorts of details.

Capricorn76 I expect that whatson was referring to the fact that your user name suggests that your DOB is either between 1st to 20th January 1976 or 22nd-31st December 1976 which isn't info that most people share in their user name.

Capricorn76 could be an excellent choice of name for privacy if you are actually a Gemini from 1964 though.

That would be a poster after my own heart.

I am also building a grudging admiration for posters with names like 356648955abfghiljg because it makes it so damned difficult to conduct advanced searches on them when they raise my hackles or my suspicions that I almost give up. But only almost.

The school thread didn't bother me but the bank one was a bit dodgy. But I actually think it was also harmless.

I think being recognised if you're disclosing private/personal info is more of a concern. I've recognised my sons godmother on here. Not because of anything specific but just because she said to me nearly word for word what she posted. She was just having a moan about her DH. It was a OMFG moment. Followed a couple of friends on FB posting things that were in current threads, so I started throwing in white lies to my own posts and name changing.

I didn't get why people did it before, now I do.

Yes, YABU and a bit tin-foil-hat,

So, I ask how much you have in the bank and then through skill and luck manage to find your IP address on a particular thread. Assuming someone says £1m , do I then travel to their part of the country (based on an IP and WHOIS look-up) hoping I can break into their house and that instead of using a bank, they keep cash in a mattress or they use a bank and having cleverly used a "what is the name of your first pet" thread I can transfer their life savings to my off-shore account where the transaction can be neither reversed nor traced when the banks realise it was done fraudulently.

I've said too much and I'm sure there's a satellite above me [rollseyes]

ps. @makingjudysmile

not achieving what you imagine

I am also building a grudging admiration for posters with names like 356648955abfghiljg because it makes it so damned difficult to conduct advanced searches on them when they raise my hackles or my suspicions that I almost give up. But only almost.

I'd actually adopt that style of NN, but I'd never be able to reset my password (I forget it at least twice a week).

dizzy I've done that before, posted some funny or newsworthy anecdote that happened to me that week and then gone to tell the exact same story to friends and thought 'Shit. I can either tell MN or tell my RL friend but I can't do both.'

Would be ironic if you're one of the people I'm talking about

Mumsnet can make you super paranoid. As a joke I once posted that I call rl friends "hun" so they won't think I'm on mumset. That week I got two whatsap messages starting with "hi hun"...still don't know if it was a coincidence!

Yanbu I was thinking of starting a thread saying this. Not necessarily bank security, just that posters are sharing lots of identifying information

YANBU

People used to make jokes about keeping spreadsheets. I don't think it's a joke....!

It's not a joke

I can sniff out certain name changers with alarming ease if they are the sort who keep banging on with the same agenda for years on end. Some people are so dopey they mistake the vipers for goldfish with three second memories. They think a NC means they can trot out the same stuff and no one will know it's them

Totally deluded.

Not entirely sure what you mean about the cached pages, had a slight fear that the link was going to be a picture of me though!!

But anyway as I said I started a thread that's been mentioned on this thread several times. At no point did I ask anyone to reveal actual details of their location.

Definite food for thought, but would people really share that info if they've used it for security questions?

I am very confident I could not get hacked as I do not even know my passwords for any accounts, I use a password generator/keeper. Thought most people would in this day and age.

(Now watch me go get hacked, Sod's law! )

I am also building a grudging admiration for posters with names like 356648955abfghiljg because it makes it so damned difficult to conduct advanced searches on them

Don't you just copy and paste the name?

I think some people do it so that their whole history can't be searched. There's a lot that don't completely change their, name just alter it slightly.

I used to have one password for everything but since hacker gate I now have different passwords for everything that are ridiculously complicated but all loosely related along a cryptic theme and quite honestly it's a fecking nightmare. Between that and having three different email addresses I can't remember how to access bloody anything.

The latest is an account for the Dartford tunnel charge. I know I set it up, I know I paid a credit balance onto it, I know it has worked because I've used it and no penalties have arisen as a result of me driving through there, but can I find which email and password I set it up with? Can I feck.

And they deny all knowledge of its existence and say my number plate is not linked to any account.

OMG soup I think I love you.

I used to use another forum (I know I know) and there was no name changing, but you could delete and edit posts. When I made my exit I went through my old posts, of which there were far too many, and deleted any identifying info.

Here I just name change regularly and to non connected names, I never post too much detail, and if I do want to post something I change some details. What's the worst that can happen, I get called troll if someone doesn't believe a post. That's not going to hurt me.

Oh I have a password system. It's crazy but it sort of works.

dizzy yes they do, I agree but but if they've been given a grilling about something very memorable/contentious or just didn't get the responses or the sympathy they'd hoped for, so come back a month later with the same problem only to be told 'yes YA still BU and we told you that last time' what's the point? People remember stuff. If AV didn't exist they might be in with a chance but as it does theyve got no hope

I do the same as Addicted.

I do the same Hold

It's not trolling to just gently mislead in order to protect your own privacy, so long as the bones of the issue are the truth.

Yanbu op!

Interesting skim reading this thread that people aren't connecting these personal info threads with the massive MN hack ("Jeremy") last summer which resulted in a list of usernames, email addresses (and passwords?) being made available to hackers.

I think the OPs point is that if that info is out there already and there is a thread here asking your mother's maiden name, it might be a good idea to be suspicious!