Arizona, Remove These Bumper Stickers from Your Car Immediately!

We're becoming more aware of a danger called "social hacking." If you're not aware of this, it's when someone uses information they can find through weaknesses in user behavior. The information is then exploited and used through seemingly legitimate means.

Most of us are well aware that this method can be used as a target in email campaigns like spear phishing attacks, where someone with a particular set of knowledge is tricked into giving away or sharing information with someone outside an organization who then uses it for nefarious means.

However, social hacking can go beyond cyberspace and enter the real world, and if you're not alert to the possible issue, you could get your family into some hot water.

It might sound unlikely, but experts warn that criminals and even terrorists could use information you're displaying to the world against you and your family.

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If you have any of these stickers on your car, it's probably because you're proud of your family. But those stickers could be telling crooks too much about your loved ones, exposing your family to criminals who could hurt you or your kids.

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We've all seen those little stick-figure families on the back of a family SUV. Those cute little family car stickers have become popular, especially now that small vinyl printers are so available.

Criminals in Arizona Could Target Your Kids

Imagine someone approaching your child in a parking lot. You're busy loading the groceries into the car, but your children are old enough to get in by themselves. Your kids are on the other side of the car, about to get in, when a stranger approaches, just beyond your line of sight.

"Oh, hey! Connor and Sophie! Remember me? My name is Jack. I know your dad, Mike. We work together." The kids are wary, but he knows their names, so they must have just forgotten. They must have met him before now.

He continues, "Can you help me find my dog, Clyde? He just ran off."

"Oh, hey! We have a dog named Clyde, too!" they both chime in. He knows. He read it off the back of your car. Now it appears they have something in common, and the kids are eager to help. This is the type of targeted social attack that criminals can use to trap your children.

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You Might Be Exposing Your Family to Predators

This predator could use the information they've just read from the back of your vehicle and lure your children into a false sense of security. You've just supplied everything he needs to know.

Consider what else you could be telling the public about your family. If you run a business, for example, your telephone number may be visible to others.

Do you have stickers on your vehicle showing your favorite sports teams, too? How about those "my honor student" stickers? Now, everyone knows where your kids attend school.

Play it safe and follow expert security advice: if you have those stickers on your car, take them off.

Bumper Stickers Can Pose Risks

• They can reveal personal information about the driver of a vehicle or their family.
• They can hint at what is inside the car.
• They can pose a danger to children.
• College, team, or sorority stickers can endanger students.
• "Honor Roll" and other accolades can reveal your children's schools.

If you have these stickers on your car, consider taking them off now, for your safety and your family's safety. Don't tell the bad guys your personal information.

Sources: Wikipedia | The Conversation | Newsweek