Criminals use the internet. Your oversharing could be putting you in danger. If you’re building your personal brand by showing up online and sharing your story, you should think carefully before you include specific details. If you’re posting when you’re on vacation, where you work, and what car you drive, every update builds their roadmap to target you.
Paul Alex is a former detective who spent seven years working in law enforcement. At 26 he graduated from the police academy and worked patrol in Oakland, CA. At 28 he became a narcotics detective making $180k/year. Alex has since left to become a founder, stating “no work life balance” as the reason, but his advice holds true since his professional detective days: stay private and stay safe. If you’re building your personal brand, you need to have this in mind.
Most people treat social media like a diary. They broadcast their location, flex their purchases, and share every detail of their daily routine. Meanwhile, identity theft affected 42 million adults in the U.S., with fraud losses reaching $52 billion in 2021. Many of these incidents trace back to oversharing on social platforms.
You can share your story and grow your following without putting yourself at risk. The key is knowing what to share and what to protect.
Here’s what Paul Alex learned catching criminals for seven years, and why you need to protect your privacy before it’s too late.
Guard your privacy online: a detective’s safety guide
Don’t share your location
“Robbers, violent criminals, and even human traffickers use social media too,” Alex warns. “I actually used to catch people this way. If you want to share your whereabouts, always delay it.” The detective hunting criminals used their own posts against them. Now those same criminals use your posts to hunt you.
You want to share the details of the high life to build your brand. But post your beach photos after you’re back home. Share restaurant experiences the next day. Tag locations only after you’ve left. This simple delay removes the real-time tracking that criminals depend on. Set up your phone to strip location data from photos automatically. Your memories stay intact, but your safety comes first.
Keep travel plans vague
“Don’t share hotel names or addresses online until after,” Alex insists. Burglars love travel posts. In the UK, 78% of burglars admitted using Facebook and Twitter to find empty homes. Your dream vacation becomes their shopping opportunity.
Skip the airport selfies and boarding pass photos. Never post countdowns to your trip. Share general excitement about upcoming adventures without specifics. Save the detailed travel content for after you return. Create anticipation without creating opportunity for thieves.
Don’t flex your wealth
“Avoid becoming an easy target for criminals,” Alex states. “Don’t flex money, expensive jewelry, or designer clothes online” Every luxury post paints a target on your back. Criminals shop social media like a catalog, choosing victims based on what they display.
Show your success through your work and impact, not your possessions. Share knowledge, wins, and transformations instead of watches and wallets. If you must showcase material items, keep them subtle and occasional. Your value shows through what you create, not what you consume.
Blur your license plate
“People can easily find your personal information through your plate,” Alex explains. “And your car becomes an easy target for thieves who usually have buyers before they even steal it.” Professional car thieves work with shopping lists. Your post might be adding your car to that list.
Use photo editing apps to blur plates before posting. Cover identifying features like custom modifications or parking permits. Never show your regular parking spots or garage. Keep your ride private to keep it yours.
Win in private
“When you stay private about your success, people don’t know what to attack,” Alex notes. Public wins attract private haters. The less people know about your specific achievements, the less ammunition they have against you.
Celebrate milestones without revealing exact figures. Share lessons learned instead of dollar amounts earned. Focus on the journey rather than the destination. Your supporters care about your growth and how you do it, not your bank balance. Let success speak through your consistency, not your screenshots.
Ignore the drama llamas
“Some people may pretend they want to help you, but sometimes they just want entertainment, drama, and gossip,” Alex warns. “Privacy removes these people from your life.” Energy vampires disguise themselves as supporters. They ask questions to gather intel, not to offer assistance.
Share challenges only with proven allies. Keep your struggles within your trusted circle. Test people with small vulnerabilities before revealing bigger ones. Watch who celebrates your wins versus who minimizes them. Privacy filters out fake friends automatically.
Be wary of who you trust
“Tell someone not to share your secrets and of course they’re going to share it,” Alex states bluntly. Your secrets become someone else’s social currency. People trade private information for attention and connection. They don’t care about your brand or your security.
Assume everything you share will be repeated. Only reveal what you’re comfortable becoming public. Keep your deepest plans and biggest moves completely silent until they’re complete. Trust takes years to build. Don’t hand it out like business cards.
Beyond safety: have a healthy relationship with your online persona
If you have a deep urge to overshare, you’ll keep doing it. Alex’s tips go beyond safety to inner calm and mental wellbeing.
Learn how to disconnect
“Privacy teaches you how to disconnect from drama, bad energy, and noise around you and how to enjoy time alone,” Alex shares. The constant need to share creates constant stress. Breaking free from that cycle brings unexpected peace.
Start with one day per week completely offline. No posts, no scrolling, no updates. Use that time to think, create, or simply exist without documentation. You’ll find clarity in the silence. Your best ideas come when you stop broadcasting and start listening to yourself.
Stop seeking validation
“Privacy teaches you how to stop seeking validation from others and stop caring about people’s opinions,” Alex explains. “You learn how to simply mind your own business.” External validation is a drug that needs constant doses. Privacy breaks the addiction.
Measure progress privately first. Set goals without announcing them. Achieve milestones without posting them. Find satisfaction in the work itself, not the likes it generates. When you stop needing applause, you start building real confidence.
Find inner peace
“Lastly, a private life is a good life,” Alex concludes. “Watch how much more peaceful your life becomes when people don’t know everything about you.” Mystery creates respect. Privacy creates power.
Choose what parts of your story to share strategically. Keep the rest for yourself and your inner circle. Build your brand rules around value, not vulnerability. You can inspire without exposing everything.
Protect your privacy starting today
Paul Alex spent seven years watching criminals exploit oversharing. Now he’s building his own brand and business. He knows your online presence is a goldmine for people with bad intentions. Every post, every update, every photo gives them more information to use against you.
You don’t need to disappear from the internet. But share smarter. Delay location posts. Blur identifying details. Celebrate privately. Build trust without oversharing. Create boundaries that protect your peace. Don’t risk the fallout of sharing too much. Privacy is power.
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