Police in Newfoundland and Labrador are warning people not to share personal information in online groups as part of a growing trend of social media gift exchanges.
The RCMP said Tuesday a number of groups have been created online that encourage members to share their names, home addresses, favourite things and other information to receive gifts.
Some of these groups offer wine, treats and other gifts, delivered by anonymous “wine ninjas.”
The names and ages of children with addresses have also been shared online in some cases, police said.
The RCMP said while many of these groups are well-intentioned and there is nothing illegal about them, not everyone in the groups may have good intentions, and sharing personal information about children, in particular, could put them at risk of communication with online predators.
More information legitimizes threats
Sgt. Chad Norman, who works with the RCMP’s Integrated Internet Child Exploitation Unit, said posting information about a child on the internet can make it easier for a predator to make a plausible threat to the child.
Norman said he has seen instances of people using the names of a child’s family members or their address to make threats and exploit a child.
“The exploitation and threats can take many forms, but generally, it’s based upon knowledge of the child and that knowledge is used to put the child in a position where he or she has to make a difficult decision,” he said.
But a glut of personal information online can also expose adults to fraudulent activity, Norman said.
“The information is what gives these online predators or people that would commit crimes online the information that they need to victimize people of any age, really.”
Once information is out there, it’s hard to get back — if not impossible.– Sgt. Chad Norman
Norman said to open the lines of communication and talk to kids about being careful when they’re on the internet.
“Explain to them how once information is out there, it’s hard to get back — if not impossible,” he said.
“Take this and use this as an opportunity to speak to our youth about being cautious online so that they’re not victimized.”
If you see concerning activity online, Norman said, report it to the police.
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