Keeping safe online

After reading a blog on internet predators,  I knew that there was much I could add from my experience with the Police Department.  There are many things that we can do including educating ourselves but it still comes down to common sense.  The internet allows us to meet people from around the world but they aren't always people who are safe to know.  Behind that keyboard it could be your next door neighbor or someone wanting to scam you are even a violent predator trolling for a victim.  So how do you protect yourself?

Let's start off with some free publications than you can order and share with others.  A great source is the Federal Trade Commission you can visit their website by typing  www.ftc.gov into your internet browser (although I made the link clickable for you here).  Go to the "Quick Finder" menu and you will see a like that says "Internet Fraud and Safety".  There you will find a list of publications and alerts relating to safety on the Internet and safety for kids on the internet.  I highly recommend the following three:
Social Networking Sites: A Parent's Guide
Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens
Protecting Kids' Privacy

You can order these publications for free or downlaod them straight from the site in many cases.

But what about direct steps you can take?  Here's some tips and don't think that they work just for children, they also can work for adults too!

1. Be aware of exactly what information you do post.  Avoid posting full birthdays or names if you can avoid it.  Avoid posting your location.  If you must post a location try to keep it limited to your country.  (Yes with a business profile that is almost impossible but just keep in mind that it can lead someone to you)

2. Do not post photos of your children online.  Yes we are all proud of our little darlings, but others can capture those photos and use them elsewhere.  Definitely do not post photos of your children in bathing suits or other attire that could be of interest to child molesters.

3. Make sure that you have the password and user name for your child's online profiles so you can monitor who they are communicating with online.  Look for profiles of people out of their age range on their friends list.

4. Although it is tempting to give teens laptops or personal computers that they can use in the privacy of their own room, resist the urge.  Keep the computing limited to open access family areas.

5. Be aware of people who chat or make online postings that  contradict who they claim to be.  For example someone who claims to be American would post "I think people are honorable" not "I think people are honourable".  If they don't know common information about the area that they claim to be in or from odds are they are not who they claim to be.

6. Always suspect those who ask for money, even when their reasons seem reasonable or even if they are among your friends.  More than once I have gotten e-mails from people in my address book claiming to be stuck in a foreign country because they were robbed or some other such nonsense.  Turns out the person I knew was safe at home and their account had been hijacked.

7. Never set up private meetings with anyone you have met online.  If you do choose to meet them make it a public place such as a coffee house or restaurant.  And always, always, always let someone trustworthy know where you are going and who you are planning to meet.

8. Never give out information that would allow others to access your account.  Don't give out your passwords.

9. Never give out personal background information.   Don't name family members etc.

10. Many browsers will let you customize your privacy settings.  If at all possible do so.  If not there are services out there that can prevent your kids from accessing inappropriate sites.  Most of them will block porn sites and sites with what may be considered adult content of a non-sexual nature also.

11. Keep up with news on cybercrime and what hackers are presently doing.  The face of crime changes constantly be ready to change with it.  There used to be a time when you could trust e-mails and links you got from your friends, but with hijacker viruses floating around on the most reputable of sites like Facebook, you cannot even trust that the messages you get from your friends are coming from your friends or hackers.

But the biggest step you can take as with anything is awareness.  Know the issue, know how criminals take advantage and keep current.