Although cyber scamming is nothing new, the way thieves use the data is constantly changing, and social media is a gateway to the latest scams. Identity theft experts fear that by sharing seemingly mundane personal details and preferences on social networking sites, people might be giving the bad guys clues about their security codes.

Brent Sweitzer was stuck in London, robbed of his money, phone and passport, his friends were informed in e-mails. The Atlanta man urgently needed their financial assistance, they were told.

Except Sweitzer, 35, didn't send those e-mails. He was home in Cabbagetown.

His friends had become targets of sophisticated hackers who rerouted Sweitzer's Yahoo account so any responses were forwarded to them. In this elaborate hoax, Sweitzer's father called the London hotel where his son supposedly was staying, and a man confirmed Sweitzer was registered but "had stepped away." Sweitzer had all of his e-mails and contact addresses disappear from his account moments after sending out warning messages.

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