Authorities are warning parents who have posted back-to-school photos of their children on social media that contain a lot of useful information for predators.
“Unfortunately, we have opportunists willing to do anything to commit crime. If people can be aware of the consequences of these releases, then at least we can avoid unfortunate events,” says Sergeant Ann Mathieu of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
Here she comments on the tendency of parents in Quebec to post pictures of children on Facebook and Instagram at the beginning of the school year, which may prove dangerous for them. In most cases, the youth poses with a poster that reveals his personal information.
“People see happiness in sharing these photos of their young. But parents often fail to backup their Facebook. Here the information can be misused by predators, for example,” warns Ms. Mathieu.
To approach your boys
In fact, the Journal found dozens of public posts in the genre online, revealing the minor’s name, age, school, city, dream job, height, and sometimes even weight.
“It worries me a lot. This information could allow a malicious stranger to approach a child after school, talk to them about them, creating a false sense of trust, and even make them believe they know their parents,” said Pina Arcamone, Managing Director of the Organization for Missing Children Network.
She also adds that this information could be used by a stranger to “cause a young person to lower their guard around a stranger.”
“It’s traditional to photograph our children on the first day of school. It makes for great memories, but you have to be careful not to share personal information, which puts the young person and the parents at risk as well,” stresses Ms Arcamone.
Information to avoid
Note that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been conducting awareness campaigns about these back-to-school photos in certain western provinces of the country since the beginning of the month.
The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) also urged citizens to “think before sharing photos of their child on their first day of school.” A corresponding campaign is carried out by the neighborhood station 3.
“Whatever your privacy settings or friends list, it’s best to keep personal information online to the strict minimum,” the SPVM said in a statement.
NOT TO SHARE INFO:
- child name
- child’s school name
- age of the child
- School year and name of the child’s teacher
- Physical characteristics (height, weight, etc.) of the child
- Information that is too personal (items related to passwords or answers to security questions, etc.)