Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Meghan Barr and Deepti Hajela in New York and David Porter in Little Ferry, N.

NPR: 6 Months After Sandy, Thousands Homeless In NY, NJ

"We take all the data you can get and make as many possible links between all the items in it, " said David Porter, head of security and risk at Detica.

BBC: The future of fighting fraud

David Porter, head of security and risk at Detica, said the apparent familiarity of social network sites, which often help people build connections with people who share their interests and outlook meant many people were cavalier with their personal information.

BBC: RELATED BBC SITES