# Leaked birthdays can help fraudsters build convincing profiles of customers

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/a-gift-to-scammers-why-you-should-probably-keep-your-birthday-a-secret/
- Published: 2026-11-01T07:00:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T07:17:29+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/nov/01/do-not-share-date-of-birth-online-scam-fraudsters-advice
- Topics: Americas, Business, World

## Key points

- Retailer breaches can help scammers piece together identity profiles.
- Leave optional birthday fields blank or use a false date.
- Give your real date of birth where identity checks require it.

## Summary

Cybersecurity experts advise giving retailers a false date of birth or leaving the field blank, because information exposed in data breaches can help scammers build convincing profiles and impersonate customers. A birthday on its own is of limited use to criminals, but combined with names, contact details and other leaked or public information, it can make fraud more plausible.

A survey by scam investigator Alexandre François found that eight of 14 retailers asked for a date of birth at sign-up, which can also help with marketing. Experts suggest avoiding optional personal fields and using a separate email address for online shopping; if a birthday is required, using the same memorable false date across retailers may reduce exposure. Real details should be reserved for organisations that need them to verify identity, such as banks, lenders and government agencies.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.