Be Careful Posting Family Pictures: Mom Finds Child Used In Adoption Scam
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2009
by Asher Ricard
When we set up our blog and personal internet pages, the last thing we expect is someone stealing our precious photos from our site.
For one Massachusetts mom, Jenni Brennan, it was shocking and scary when she found her child being listed for sale on craigslist as part of an adoption scam.
Apparently, the mom received an email alerting her to the scam. When she went to the link, there was an offer to adopt a child, but no picture.
"The picture he sends you is a picture of Jake," Brennan said to a local news station, . "It was horrifying. I never would have thought in a million years that I would have the emotional reaction that I did."
The e-mail claimed her son is Canadian born and living at an orphanage in Cameroon and said that for $300 she could begin the adoption process.
"Then it was my child, and I realized he was being used in a scam. I got really angry, incredibly angry," she said.
In the end, Brennan realized the photo was taken from her family blog.
When I read this story, a knot came up in my stomach. Is it really that easy to steal a picture?
Sad news is that it is. It is a matter of right clicking and saving it to the computer. As sad as it is, there are some sick people out there willing to do anything to make money.
Here are some tips to protect your family.
Check your blog settings. Make sure they are on private where only those invited can view your pages.
Be careful what you post online. You never know who is reading and watching. Leave out details or plans of where you are located.
Leave off the personal information. This obviously goes without saying, but addresses, phone numbers, etc. should never be on the blog. Who is to say that this guy could not take it a step farther and try to kidnap her son to make money?
Brennan was lucky she found out and since her realization, the email address has been shut down. In the meantime, as parents we need to take every step possible to protect our family!
This Article has been viewed 6,768 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)The internet can be a scary place, yet people think nothing of giving all sorts of personal information. I hope this article is a wake-up call to many.
I couldn't agree more. I am just about to write about the dangers of the internet myself. Well written and thanks for this advice. I wish that I'd read it sooner! i will pass it on to my friends.Elfreda
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