Not the Real Brian

Identity theft is a major issue that many people become victim to.  When I think of identity theft I think of someone getting ahold of an old credit card that someone forgot to cut up or something of that source.  However, many cases of identity theft happens over the internet.  Now, when I think of this scenario, I think of someone trying to buy something over the internet and giving their credit card information and other information through the "transaction."  I would never guess that identity theft would even be happening through social networking sites...one of which I use everyday.  This is the story of Bryan Rutberg on The Red Tape Chronicals.
Mr. Rutberg's daughter came into his room one evening asking what was wrong with him.  He didn't know what she was talking about, he was just about to lay down for a nap.  She said that she saw his status on Facebook said “BRYAN IS IN URGENT NEED OF HELP!!!" At first Bryan didn't pay much attention until his wife also brought his Facebook status to his attention.  Knowing that he did not ever type these words for the public to see, he checked it out.  Turns out his Facebook had been hacked and all his information was changed.  There was no way for Brian to get into his account to change or delete anything.  That wasn't the worst part though.  The hacker was sending messages to his friends asking them to send him money because he was desperate and in trouble.  Many of his friends chipped in.  One person even sent $1200! Eventually, things got settled but the hacker was never caught and the many people had no way of retrieving their money they had just donated to the unknown criminal. 
This story just goes to show that dangers of the internet go in many different directions and target many different people.  One should always be aware of the possibilities of websites they use daily, such as Facebook and other social networks.