You never know who it might be.

This.  This article. Kyle Torpey @ Forbes, you said it!  You never know who you’ll TRIGGER–  online or in person.  This is some scary stuff.  Posts on social media with real names and some people sharing their phone numbers in line at CVS — all very scary to me.

*Soapbox Warning*  Please don’t share your correct SSN, phone number, DOB, or any PII out loud in public.  As military spouses, we’re asked A LOT for our spouses’ SSNs or at least their last 4.  When this happens, please write it on a little piece of paper, then take the paper with you when you leave and destroy it.  Overkill?  Maybe.  But you’ll sleep better at night.

Another tip:  throw away all the convenience/discount cards you carry or have associated with your phone numbers.  Gather up new ones and use a made- up phone number you can remember.  Better yet, just keep the plastic in your purse and don’t associate them with phone numbers at all.

Going all out here:  take your social media accounts out of your real name!  If your actual name ends up in the public sphere (news story, court case, accident report, mugshot :-0) then people can’t find you doing a simple name search.  It’s a simple step with huge advantages for privacy.

Thank you, Forbes & Torpey.  I lost a little sleep over this article.  The likelihood that we’ll be swatted is very low, but there are still way too many unbalanced people out there to take any chances.

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