7 tips to save you from getting hacked, swindled online

INTERNET identity theft has become a big problem and we are partly to blame because we share information about ourselves on social media sites.

Social media has made it easy to share news or tell our friends where we are having our morning coffee.

"Unfortunately, along with this comes the opportunity for thieves to use personal information to steal identity," says Tersia van Rooyen a consumer education manager at TransUnion.

She gave these tips:

• Avoid sharing personal information such as address, phone number or birth date. Identity thieves can open accounts and commit financial crimes with the information;
• Do not save your password on a public or work computer. Some sites automatically check this box under your sign-in and may bring up your account when someone else goes to that site;
• Change your privacy settings on all accounts so that you have control of all information posted; Set your profile to private and make sure you have to approve any friend requests, comments, photo tags, links or posts;
• Create intricate passwords and change them often;
• Never share travel plans because thieves can rob you when you are away;
• Share these guidelines;
• Periodically check your credit report or sign up for a credit monitoring service that will alert you to any changes.