It's the kind of idea you wish you'd thought of. The creator of Facebook, a man named Mark Zuckerberg, was recently listed in Forbes Magazine as the youngest self-made billionaire in history. And he won't be 24 until May 14th.

Chances are pretty good you or your kids are on his site, and you likely have your name, maybe a photo and a little personal information about yourself on your page. But what if it's a little too personal? Identity thieves troll the entries of social networking sites like Facebook, trying to glean enough facts to possibly assume your I.D. and start ruining your reputation. 

And the worst part is you likely won't even be aware of it until it's too late.

That was the case for a Toronto man whose face was picked off the site. Lukasz (pictured), found his picture under a different name on a dating site after a hacker borrowed some Facebook photos from his page.

"Why would you even do that?" he pondered. "It's a cheap way of finding a date."

He was contacted when a woman who thought she was dating the real Lukasz discovered the imposter and found the real guy online.

"She's been talking to this person for the past five or six months," he added.

The frustrating part is that taking other people's photos from Facebook is as legal as it is easy. When contacted, police told Lukasz as much.

"The reason why it's not illegal is because these pictures of this individual were in the public domain on Facebook," explained Jonathan Herman, an Internet security expert.

But the bottom line, as Herman and others will attest, is that if you're going to use Facebook, at the very least take some steps to protect yourself.

Here's a look at some simple ways you can enjoy the site's many features while still protecting your most valuable possession - your own good name.

Searching Questions

All anyone has to do to find you on Facebook is type your name at the site itself or in Google. In general, your picture and your moniker will turn up. To change this, alter the "Search Privacy" settings from "Everyone" to "don't allow my public search listing to be indexed by external search engines." That's supposed to hide you from the Googles and Yahoos of the world, although nothing is perfect.

'Site' Unseen

When you first register for Facebook, it's easy to ignore the 'privacy' option at the top of the screen. You should ensure it's changed to provide you some cover, before inputting anything you don't want the whole world to know. These can be changed at any time, but it's a good idea to at least start in a more protected mode.

The Picture Of Foolishness

Try using an avatar or a caricature of yourself. That way, you're not exposing your face to prying eyes.

Resetting The Settings

There is an "Only My Friends" setting you should consider using to further safeguard your profile so only those people you know and trust will have access to who you really are.

With Friends Like These...

Consider who you invite into your inner circle. Remember, the Internet is like a giant Halloween party - some people are wearing virtual masks and you have no idea if they really are who they pretend to be. Until you're sure, exercise caution, because once they have approved 'friend' status, they can see just about anything you've allowed your other pals to look at.

Limited Access

Facebook provides a 'limited friends' setting that lets people you're unsure of look at only a partial version of your profile. Consider it a probation until you know more about them.

For some step-by-step instructions on how to adjust your privacy on the site, click here.

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