Marrying a stranger one of the risks of massive data leak

As law-enforcement agencies probe South Africa’s biggest yet personal data leak, IT experts have warned the public to be more careful about over-sharing on social networks and websites.

Even sharing your birthday or residential address on social media could compromise safety online.

The warning comes in the wake of a massive data dump this week that affected millions of South Africans.

About 60 million records were leaked. The data contains ID numbers, marital status, income, employment details and property ownership information.

Web security expert Craig Rosewarne said criminals in the know could apply for credit fraudulently, steal tax-return information, obtain medical services or even “marry you” to exploit citizen benefits.

“The less you share, the safer you will be,” he said.

Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi said the unit was sparing no effort in enforcing the law to the fullest extent.