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Think your daily rants about your egocentric boss are funny? Well your next employer may not think so. The social networking phenomenon may seem like all fun and games until it ends up costing you your current job, your future job, or even your next line of credit.

How can it work against you? Here are just some of the current trends in social networking sites:

Hiding From a Debt? They’ll Find You
Collection agents, not always known for their above-the-line practices, will often scour the internet in search of your contact information. Since many debtors will refuse phone calls or ignore written correspondence, they stand a good chance that active social media players will be online. If you are posting about the new outfit you bought or the great vacation you just took, you can bet they’ll step up their aggressive collection tactics since they know you have the money. While laws will not allow collection agents to contact you through your profile, some will still disguise themselves in order to secure good contact information for you. Some especially unethical agents will even sabotage you on your home page.

Need a Loan? Good Luck
Even creditors have been using social networking searches to find out what kind of risk you might be. Considering a personal loan or a mortgage? Banks and other lenders are getting very tight with their money and outside of your credit score they want to know what kind of person you are and what risk you might pose to defaulting on the loan. While there is no scientific formula for a lender to assess your Twitter account, they may be scared enough about what you say to refuse your loan.

Loose Lips? Lose Your Job
Potential employers can easily do searches on candidate names since social media profiles are often at the top of search engine results. Employers will be looking for negative comments about your current employer, coworkers, and other job-related activities. They can also look at the times you post to see how hard you are really working each day. If you have naughty pictures associated with your profile, they too can cost you a potential position in a company.

Gone Phishing – Took All Your Money
Since people often have no problem typing in a ton of personal information on their home page because they want everyone to know how well they are doing in life, scammers have made a happen of targeting social media users. It’s nice to let friends know who your grandma is but providing her last name will give scammers insight as to what your mother’s maiden name is. This is one of the top security questions people have to answers to gain access to their financial and personal accounts.

Ultimately it is up to consumers to use common sense when it comes to posting information that essentially the world can see. Protecting your information can sometimes be as easy as not providing any. Remember that while your friends can see and appreciate your updates, the whole world can be watching.