Pensioners' private data is being sold on Facebook for pennies
Wealthy and retired are most at risk, experts warn
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It turns out today’s criminals don’t need to downloadTorand head to the dark web to get their hand’s on your data, as the private details of thousands of pensioners in the UK are available on normal Facebook groups.
BBC Breakfast Livewas apparently able to purchase the details of 1,000 people living in Britain for just £160.
The personal data was said to include names, home addresses,emailaddresses, estimated net worth as well as estimated income bracket.
Who are they targeting?
Wealthy pensioners are particularly at risk, theBBCsays, with many Facebook posts advertising sets of data with tags such as “rich people”, “high income”, “home owners”, and “old age”.
TheBBClaid the blame squarely on Meta for not scrubbing its platform clean from this type of illegal activity.
Meta has responded to the allegations, saying: “We remove this content when we become aware of it and have taken down the groups in question”.
Unfortunately being young and a long way from home ownership might not protect you from cybercrime.
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UK businesses are reportedly getting caught by fraudsters more often than the global average.
A solid majority - 64% - of UK firms experienced an instance of fraud in the last two years, an increase from 56% in 2020, andwell above the global average of 46% according to PWC’s Global Economic Crime Survey.
This might not have been the first instance in which Meta has handed data over when it shouldn’t have.
A Bloomberg report hasaccused Apple and Metaof handing over sensitive data to cybercriminals who had been impersonating police, and who managed to steal data from numerous tech companies using the trick.
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The news comes as the way in which Facebook handles data is coming under greater scrutiny, at least within the EU.
Irish regulators have decided to force the social media giant to stop sending users' data to the US, forcing them to store data locally.
ViaMSN
Will McCurdy has been writing about technology for over five years. He has a wide range of specialities including cybersecurity, fintech, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, cloud computing, payments, artificial intelligence, retail technology, and venture capital investment. He has previously written for AltFi, FStech, Retail Systems, and National Technology News and is an experienced podcast and webinar host, as well as an avid long-form feature writer.
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