Identity fraud does not worry residents

Dubai: UAE residents say they are not worried about online security, despite claims that social networking websites provide fertile hunting ground for identity fraudsters.

Fears have also been raised about popular site Facebook, after the programming code which runs the site was published on a website, a move which could help potential hackers to write software aimed at collecting user information.

However the company, which has more than 30 million members worldwide, denied that user data could be compromised in any way.

Meanwhile, British IT security firm has released a report claiming that most people using social networking sites leave themselves open to fraud.

The company in question, Sophos, created a fake Facebook profile and sent out random 'friendship' requests. More than 40 per cent of users allowed "Freddi Staur" to become their 'friend' allowing him to view their profiles and a selection of personal details.

Sophos said it was able to get pictures of users' family and friends', hobbies, employer details, the names of their spouses, resumes and even mother's maiden names - information which could be used in identity theft.

But despite the reports, residents in the UAE were bullish about the chances of serious identity fraud happening to them.

They maintain that simple steps such as avoiding putting lots of sensitive data on their profiles and being sensible about who you allow to view your details was the answer.

Limited to friends

Nivi, a German environmental consultant, said that she was concerned by the reports but that she had expected it may happen one day.

She admitted that identity fraud could happen to "anyone" but while she had her date of birth and phone number on the site, access was limited to trusted friends only. "I don't reveal any personal data," she added.

Anselmo, a Korean engineer, said he didn't really think about the consequences of having his personal details stolen but added that he never considered his phone number and date of birth to be "sensitive information."

"I was always hesitant about online shopping using a credit card, but I never really thought sharing my birthday and phone number online could result in possible trouble. I can see it can make someone's life difficult, but I'm not too sure about ruining it though."

Ian, a British risk consultant who is one of almost 50,000 members of Facebook's United Arab Emirates group, said he was not worried by any of the stories.

He added: “If users choose to post sensitive information then they have to live with the risk.''

Ian said that he only allowed trusted people to look at his profile, and even though he has details like his date of birth and phone number on the page, he didn't think there was enough information for someone to steal his identity.

“Social networking sites have been around for some time now, and these stories are arising from Facebooks massive popularity however all of them have the same inherent risks," he added.