Marie
05-20-2008, 05:40 AM
Here are some tips for you to keep you safe on the internet and to protect yourself and your identity. These are general tips and then more specific ones.
Staying safe online
- Never post your information such as your full name, address, social security number, case numbers, alien number etc on any forum.
- If you shop online, do not give your credit card number unless you know the website is reputable.
- Never open attachments from people you don't know.
- Never download games, things off the internet unless you know the source is reputable. Sometimes, downloads also include spyware, malware or trojans that can get your information.
- Many people on forums are going through the same thing and we befriend a lot of people. As sad as it is to say, there are some people out there who are not who they claim to be. Be very careful before giving out your address, your phone number to other people or meeting others in person.
- Be knowledgeable of common scam such as the Nigeria (http://www.hoax-slayer.com/common-internet-scams.html), bank account (http://www.hoax-slayer.com/common-internet-scams.html), paypal (http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/fraud-prevention-outside), money order (http://www.expertlaw.com/library/consumer/money-order-fraud.html) and lottery scams (http://www.hoax-slayer.com/common-internet-scams.html).
- Be aware that these scams can also be telephone based. No one should call you asking you for your personal information. If your "bank" calls you and asks you for your account number, you should realize something is up. If you are unsure, hang up with the person and call your bank directly or go to your local branch. The same thing applies on the internet. Think you got an email from paypal? Don't click the link in the email, go directly to paypal.com on your own.
Keeping your kids safe online
- Become internet savvy.
- Have your computer in the living room or in a common area where you can monitor what your child is doing.
- Talk to your children and let them know to never give out their names, address, city, school name, or passwords to strangers.
- Make sure they understand that the person they are talking to may not be who they say they are.
- Explain how important it is to never meet someone they meet online without your permission.
- Encourage them to talk to you if they have seen something on the internet or receive emails that makes them uncomfortable.
- NetSmartz.org (http://netsmartz.org) is a website that is put out by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America that has educational activities for kids. Their goal is "to extend the safety awareness of children and empower them to make responsible decisions online and in real life."
- Bookmark your kid's favorite site so they can access them more easily.
- If your child has access to the internet at school or a friend's house, find out what rules and safeguards are in place.
- Make your child aware that predators and "not so nice people" frequent chat rooms and lie about who they are.
- Predators will sometimes ask children to call them when the child is reluctant to give out their number. With caller ID, the predator will immediately have your phone number.
- Know the warning signs that your child may have been targeted: unknown phone calls on your phone, strange gifts, staying up late on the internet, changing the screen when you walk into the room.
- Call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678 if you are aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography online. Contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI if your child has received child pornography via the Internet. (source (http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html))
- If you have more questions about keeping your kids online or things that are on the internet (blog, acronyms, etc), you can use NetSmartz411 (http://www.netsmartz411.org/) to search for your question.
Safety and I2US
- For those of you using your full name as your username, I suggest you change it to either just your first name or something fictitious.
-Also know that as a website, we do not give out your email address to anyone. The only people who have access to your email address are the admins.
- Also, we don't want this website to be a tool for anyone to harass/stalk others, either through pms or email. You can choose to disable receiving either. There is no way for us to monitor those things so unless you tell us that someone is harassing you or sending you something that makes you feel uncomfortable, we will have no idea. If it does happen to you, please pm anyone of the mods/admins.
Sources:
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/ServiceServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=178
http://www.expertlaw.com/library/consumer/money-order-fraud.html
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/common-internet-scams.html
Staying safe online
- Never post your information such as your full name, address, social security number, case numbers, alien number etc on any forum.
- If you shop online, do not give your credit card number unless you know the website is reputable.
- Never open attachments from people you don't know.
- Never download games, things off the internet unless you know the source is reputable. Sometimes, downloads also include spyware, malware or trojans that can get your information.
- Many people on forums are going through the same thing and we befriend a lot of people. As sad as it is to say, there are some people out there who are not who they claim to be. Be very careful before giving out your address, your phone number to other people or meeting others in person.
- Be knowledgeable of common scam such as the Nigeria (http://www.hoax-slayer.com/common-internet-scams.html), bank account (http://www.hoax-slayer.com/common-internet-scams.html), paypal (http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/fraud-prevention-outside), money order (http://www.expertlaw.com/library/consumer/money-order-fraud.html) and lottery scams (http://www.hoax-slayer.com/common-internet-scams.html).
- Be aware that these scams can also be telephone based. No one should call you asking you for your personal information. If your "bank" calls you and asks you for your account number, you should realize something is up. If you are unsure, hang up with the person and call your bank directly or go to your local branch. The same thing applies on the internet. Think you got an email from paypal? Don't click the link in the email, go directly to paypal.com on your own.
Keeping your kids safe online
- Become internet savvy.
- Have your computer in the living room or in a common area where you can monitor what your child is doing.
- Talk to your children and let them know to never give out their names, address, city, school name, or passwords to strangers.
- Make sure they understand that the person they are talking to may not be who they say they are.
- Explain how important it is to never meet someone they meet online without your permission.
- Encourage them to talk to you if they have seen something on the internet or receive emails that makes them uncomfortable.
- NetSmartz.org (http://netsmartz.org) is a website that is put out by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America that has educational activities for kids. Their goal is "to extend the safety awareness of children and empower them to make responsible decisions online and in real life."
- Bookmark your kid's favorite site so they can access them more easily.
- If your child has access to the internet at school or a friend's house, find out what rules and safeguards are in place.
- Make your child aware that predators and "not so nice people" frequent chat rooms and lie about who they are.
- Predators will sometimes ask children to call them when the child is reluctant to give out their number. With caller ID, the predator will immediately have your phone number.
- Know the warning signs that your child may have been targeted: unknown phone calls on your phone, strange gifts, staying up late on the internet, changing the screen when you walk into the room.
- Call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678 if you are aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography online. Contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI if your child has received child pornography via the Internet. (source (http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html))
- If you have more questions about keeping your kids online or things that are on the internet (blog, acronyms, etc), you can use NetSmartz411 (http://www.netsmartz411.org/) to search for your question.
Safety and I2US
- For those of you using your full name as your username, I suggest you change it to either just your first name or something fictitious.
-Also know that as a website, we do not give out your email address to anyone. The only people who have access to your email address are the admins.
- Also, we don't want this website to be a tool for anyone to harass/stalk others, either through pms or email. You can choose to disable receiving either. There is no way for us to monitor those things so unless you tell us that someone is harassing you or sending you something that makes you feel uncomfortable, we will have no idea. If it does happen to you, please pm anyone of the mods/admins.
Sources:
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/ServiceServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=178
http://www.expertlaw.com/library/consumer/money-order-fraud.html
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/common-internet-scams.html