Fraudsters only need three details to steal your identity and access your bank accounts or credit cards.

Name, date of birth, and address are the three details mostly found on Facebook. If your profile settings are not private, everyone will have access to these details. According to YouGov, about a third of British adults with social media accounts like Facebook include these details in their profile.

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John Marsden, head of ID and fraud at Equifax, says that a crucial part of identification is the date of birth since it is the only detail that never changes, and young people are likely to display this information. In a survey, 48 participants within the age of 18 to 24 were found to share this information on social media sites compared to 28 participants between the age 35 and 44.

Even if this information is not in your Facebook profile, fraudsters will still be able to see this if a friend posts a birthday message on your Facebook wall. When the fraudsters have a person's name and date of birth, tracking the address of the victim will be easier.

The next step for fraudsters is to obtain fake identification documents using these details. Telegraph Money has reported about a site that guarantees high-quality fake passports that include security features like watermarks, security threads, and microprinting.

The site can copy a complete replica of the document, and the differences cannot be spotted. Fraudsters usually have such documents when representing the victim. Although some providers require specific information when processing online applications, fraudsters know how to crack the system and can reapply again, according to Marsden.

When the account is successfully processed, fraudsters will try to block the credit cards or documents sent from the bank by providing another address to make the stealing process smooth.

Identity theft is a major part of fraudulent activity. A lot more adults in the UK are engaged in social media using their smartphones than before. Marsden suggests that adjusting the settings of one's Facebook profile is necessary to keep crucial details such as date of birth and address private.