How to protect yourself from "Doxxing"

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"Doxxing" is an online threat that refers to the the unauthorized research and access of your private information by another person or party. Essentially, someone could "dox" a person by catching details such as the name, part of the address, school or workplace, or similar information that could be linked to the person. From these, they can then search for further details about the victim's life and activities. The information obtained can be used for identity theft, cyber-bullying, and other forms of harassment. It can also physically endanger a person when their location is exposed.

IMVU is serious about combating all forms of abuse and harassment within our community. Please note the following tips to protect yourself from doxxing and other scams while in chat.

Do not give out any personal information. This includes names, addresses, and any details that can be linked to you. Doxxers may catch your name from one conversation, and link it with another personal info you dropped in another chat. This would give them enough material to search for more details about you. Your homepage, tagline, Pulse posts, and other forms of communication may also be a source for doxxers.

Do not click on any suspicious links. Doxxers could try different techniques to get you to divulge information. This includes links to fake sign up or login pages, "credit generator" pages, or any page where you need to enter your private info. These links may also contain malware that could infect your computer. To be safe, do not click on any links while in chat. Any suspicious links can also be flagged. Also, be careful when taking free Credit offers as doing so outside of IMVU can get you banned! Read more about it in this post.

Know how to identify Staff. Some doxxers may pose as Staff in order to get you to give information. Keep in mind that Staff will never ask you for your IMVU password. Any verification will be done only through official channels (over the phone, through a Help Ticket, and via Live Chat) and never through in-game chat. You can learn more about identifying real Staff in this article.

Always use a strong password. To prevent scammers from logging into your account and obtaining private info, always use a strong password. This is one that has uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers. You can find instructions on how to update your password in this article.

If you believe you have been doxxed, the first thing to do is to contact your local law enforcement officials. They can help find the culprit, and protect you from any other dangers. When applicable, contact your credit agencies as well to make sure your finances have not been tampered with.

For more information on protecting your account, you may also check out this article! Here is another helpful article that details what you can do in case of harassment.

With proper care, doxxing can be easily avoided. As always, we are ready to help with any questions or concerns.