The other day I was chatting with my neighbor about their job. My friend, a real estate agent, was discussing the various means she used to find new real estate agent resources using the Web. She told me she often used the Web as a means of distributing promotional real estate newsletters for example.
Interestingly, she happened to mention while surfing for information about real estate she was solicited several times by scam agencies looking for her credit card information. She also accidentally bumped into one or two adult themed sites while surfing.
Now, one may not naturally link adult sites with real estate, but these days you just never know what you'll find on the Web.
She was expressing her concern because she has a teen at home and could only imagine the type of sites she might accidentally bump into while surfing the Net.
She was particularly concerned about the risks of identity theft but also the risk her teen may bump into adult content unintentionally on the Web.
While it's true there are several dangers associated with surfing the Web today, there are also several steps you can take to help protect your identity and that of your family.
Here are just a few steps you can take to protect your identity:
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Never give out your full name to strangers on the Internet
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Avoid giving out other personal information on the Internet, including social security numbers, your address or phone number.
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Don't "verify" your credit card information to unknown sources or give out your credit card number to unsolicited people on the Internet.
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Keep your password secret on the Internet.
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Use a pop up blocker to help prevent unwanted pop ups
You should inform your teen about the risks associated with identity theft on the Web, as they are prime targets for "phishing" scams on the Internet.
Just helping them become more aware of steps they can take to protect themselves will go a long way toward promoting teen safety while surfing cyberspace.