FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- The Internet is a wonderful tool. Information about anything and everything is just a few clicks away. Unfortunately, personal information can be found too.
Every minute e-mails saying "your account will be closed unless you respond immediately," "click here to claim your $100 gift card," or other attention-getting headlines appear.
While some of these may be legitimate, most are not. This is "phishing."
Predators are "fishing" for confidential information over the Internet under false pretenses in order to obtain credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal data.
The information is then used or sold and a person's identity has been "stolen."
Scams include charging items on another's credit or debit card, emptying a bank account or soliciting services without the person knowing until a charge or loan request is declined.
Others use the Internet to try and lure children into chat rooms, ultimately convincing them to meet somewhere.
Talk to your kids. Explain people they "meet" online may not be who they say they are.
Remind children not to give out personal information over the Internet. Children should use an alias and never reveal an address, telephone number, or identifying information.
Children should not exchange pictures, letters, or telephone calls with online acquaintances without a parent's or guardian's approval. Uncomfortable or obscene e-mails should be brought to a parent's or guardian's attention immediately.
Agree on a list of rules and post them by the computer. Rules should cover how long children spend on the Internet, when they can surf the Web, what sites to visit, and whether or not they are allowed to make purchases online.
There are tools and software to block certain sites and or record the history of viewed sites.
Have everyone in the household sign an Internet Pledge. For more information and to download a copy of the Pledge visit http://www.safekids.com/kidsrules.htm.
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