10 Facebook Safety and Security Tips for Teens

Facebook can be a scary place if you're not careful

While many people are fully aware of all the dangers associated with Facebook and other social networks, many teens are just now getting their first account and exploring their new freedoms.

Unfortunately, there are bad guys out there who seek to exploit these new Facebook members. Follow these safety and security tips to help make your Facebook experience a safer one:

1. Don't Register For an Account Until You're 13

While you may want an account when your 11 or 12, Facebook specifically forbids anyone younger than 13 from registering. If they find out you are lying about your age they may terminate your account and all of your content including your pictures.

2. Don't Use Your Real First or Middle Name

Facebook's policy forbids fake names but does allow for nicknames as your first or middle name. Don't use your full legal name because doing so could help predators and identity thieves obtain more information about you. Check out Facebook's Help Center for more guidance on what names are permitted

3. Set Strong Privacy Settings.

While you may want to be a social butterfly, you need to set your Facebook privacy settings so that not just anyone can see your profile and content. It is best to only make the details of your profile available to people you have already "accepted" as your friends.

4. Don't Post any Contact Information on Your Profile

Don't make your personal e-mail or your cellphone number viewable on your profile. If you do post this info it's possible that a rogue Facebook application or hacker could use this information to SPAM or torment you. I recommend not even allowing your Facebook friends to have this info. Your real friends will have your cell phone number and a-mail anyway. The less exposure the better.

5. Don't Ever Post Your Location or That You Are Home Alone

Criminals and predators could use your location information to track you down. You might think that only your friends would have access to this information, but if your friends' account is left logged in on a public computer or their account gets hacked then strangers will now have your location information. Never ever post that you are home alone.

6. Report Any Abusive Postings or Harassment

If you ever feel threatened by anyone on Facebook or someone is harassing you by sending unwanted Facebook messages or posting something abusive on your public wall, report it by clicking the "report abuse" link on the post. If someone posts a picture of you that you don't like, you have the right and the ability to 'untag' yourself.

7. Create a Strong Password For Your Account And Don't Share it with ANYONE

If your password is too simple, someone could easily guess it and break into your account. You should never provide anyone with your password. Always make sure that you log out of Facebook completely if your using a public computer in a Library or school computer lab.

8. Be Smart About What You Post

There are some things you should never post on Facebook. When you post something, always remember that it can affect other people and could be used against you in the future, so be smart.

Just because you delete something on Facebook after you say it, doesn't mean someone didn't take a screen shot of it before you had the chance to remove it. If you post something embarrassing about yourself or others, it may come back to haunt you in the future when you apply for a job or try to get into a college that checks Facebook profiles. If you don't feel comfortable enough saying something in front of someone then it's probably best not to post it online either.

9. Keep an Eye Out For Facebook Scams And Rogue Applications

Not all Facebook apps are made by good people. Usually a Facebook app will require access to parts of your profile as a condition of using it. If you give an app access and it's a bad application then you might have just opened yourself up for SPAM or worse. If in doubt, check it out by Googling the app's name followed by "scam" to see if there is any reported shenanigans.

10. If Your Account Gets Hacked, report it IMMEDIATELY!!

Don't be too embarrassed to report your account getting hacked by someone. It's important that you report the hack immediately. Hackers may try and impersonate you using your hacked account for the purpose of getting your friends to fall for their scams. Check out How to Tell a Facebook Friend From a Facebook Hacker for more information.

TOP 10 INTERNET SAFETY TIPS

Children spend twice as long online as their parents think they do and start using the internet at the average age of three, a study has found.

The survey disclosed that parents are rarely aware of their children’s internet activity.

While three quarters believe their child spends less than an hour a day online, children admit that they are actually surfing the web for an average of two hours a day.

Although two thirds said they had had a negative experience online, only 22 per cent of parents realised this.

Talking to your child is essential in keeping them internet savvy and safe. We need to teach our children to be sceptical and get them to ask questions before they consider any actions online, just as they should do off line. 

Here we share our 10 most important things to talk to your children about: 

1)      Don’t post any personal information online: your address, email address or mobile number.

2)      Think carefully before posting pictures or videos of yourself.  Once you’ve put a picture of yourself online, most people can see it and may be able to download it; it’s not just yours anymore.

3)      Keep their privacy settings as high as possible (see safe search lock below).

4)      Explain to them, never give out your passwords.

5)      Don’t befriend people you don’t know.

6)      Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. 

7)      Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are.

8)      Think carefully about what you say before you post something online.

9)      Respect other people’s views - even if you don’t agree with someone else’s views there is no need to be rude.

10)   Explain to them, if they see something online that makes them feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried, leave the website, turn off your computer and come and go and talk to a parent. 

Finally, encourage your children to be as open and honest as they can about what they are viewing and talking about online. Try and be as much a part of your child’s virtual world as possible, ‘friend’ them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram and Twitter. Ask questions about anything new they have read about online and keep the dialogue open.

If there is one thing that you should do straight away, it’s set your Safe Search Lock settings.

SafeSearchLock is a conveniently simple web safety tool designed to AUTOMATICALLY enforce and LOCK ON the child safety 'strict safe search' content screening features offered by ALL major search engines and other key content providers, providing a considerably safer online environment for young children to explore and enjoy.

LinkedIn Security: 5 Tips For Keeping Your Data Safe

With many high-profile data breaches taking center stage in recent weeks, LinkedIn wants to make sure users know all of the ways to keep their personal-account information private.

While a series of automatic checks already protect all LinkedIn accounts, designed to thwart unauthorized sign-in attempts and keep users' data safe, you can take several additional steps to ensure your account is totally protected, including:

1. Update "Privacy Settings" to understand how you're sharing your information: In addition to the built-in security features, there are some additional privacy settings users can turn on or off, depending on what they want to share, display and receive. These setting options include:

• Turn your activity broadcasts on or off: If you don't want your connections to see when you make changes to your profile, follow companies or recommend connections, uncheck this option.
• Select what others can see when you've viewed their profile: When you visit other profiles on LinkedIn, those people can then see your name, photo and headline. If you want a higher level of privacy, you can choose to only display anonymous profile information, or show up as an anonymous LinkedIn member, to people whose pages you've visited.
• Select who can see your connections: You can share your connections' names with your other first-degree connections, or you can make your connections list visible only to you.
• Change your profile photo and visibility: You can choose to have your photo displayed only to your first-degree connections, only to your network or to everyone who views your profile.

2. Opt into Two-Step Verification to prevent other people from accessing your account: Two-step verification requires a person to use more than one form of verification to access an account, usually by "knowing something," such as a password, and by "having something," such as a mobile device that the account already knows. Two-step verification is a much stronger form of account protection. It can greatly reduce identity theft and unauthorized access to sensitive information since most accounts become compromised from new or unknown computers or devices. LinkedIn offers members the ability to turn on two-step verification for their accounts. This will require an account password and a numeric code sent to your phone via SMS whenever you attempt to sign in from a device that your LinkedIn account does not recognize.

3. Opt into Secure Browsing (HTTPS) for extra protection against unauthorized access to your Internet activity and to ensure you're connected to the real LinkedIn website: A good indicator of a protected connection on a website is an "https://" connection. While LinkedIn automatically secures a connection when you are on certain pages that require sensitive information (such as using a credit card), you also have the option to turn on this protected connection when viewing any page across LinkedIn.

4. Keep your password up to date to help safeguard your LinkedIn account: Best practices for password security include:

• Change your password every few months.
• Don't use the same password on all the sites you visit.
• Don't use a word from the dictionary.
• Think of a meaningful phrase, song or quote and turn it into a complex password using the first letter of each word.
• Randomly add capital letters, punctuation or symbols.
• Substitute numbers for letters that look similar (for example, substitute "0" for "O" or "3" for "E").
• Never give your password to others or write it down.
• Sign out of your account after you use a publicly shared computer.

5. Watch out for phishing and spam emails requesting personal or sensitive information: Phishing is a common tactic that criminals use to try and steal your information, and your money, so you should always be on the lookout for fraudulent emails. LinkedIn will never ask for users' sensitive personal or financial information via email. To confirm whether or not a message is really from LinkedIn, here are a few things to look for:

• All valid LinkedIn messages will contain a security footer.
• In general, it's not a good practice to open any attachments or click any links in an email that seems suspicious, or that is from a person or company you don't know.

A few indicators should raise your suspicions that an email claiming to be from LinkedIn is not legitimate:

• The message tells you to open an email attachment or install a software update. LinkedIn will never ask you to do this.
• The message contains bad spelling and grammar.
• The message contains a threat of some kind, such as, "Your account will be deleted unless you act right away."

Before clicking on any links within an email, move the cursor over the links to see where they actually direct you. If an email claiming to be from LinkedIn directs you anywhere but back to the LinkedIn website, you can treat the message as a phishing attempt.

6 Ways to Avoid Telemarketing Fraud

1.    Don't Call Me. 
The first rule of telemarketing safety is to ignore pleas and pitches of anyone who calls you uninvited, including sales people, charities and even companies with whom you already do business. You have no way to confirm they are who they say they are. Don't rely on your caller ID, either. That can be faked.  

2.    Give Them Nothing. 
Fraudsters are hunting for information. Your best defense is to tell them nothing, and I mean nothing. If they try to confirm your name, don't tell them. If they ask if your spouse is home, don't reply. If they want to verify your address, hang up. Any bit of information you give to scammers, including even your name, can be a tool they use to part you from your money or otherwise harm you.

3.    I'll Call You. 
If the callers insist they have to speak with you — for example, they are from your bank and need to give you important information — tell them you will call them directly. At this point, fraudsters will often offer a phone number for you to call as proof they are who they say they are. Don't believe them. Instead of accepting the phone number they offer, you're much safer looking up the number independently — in the Yellow Pages or on the Internet. If the caller says he's with a company that you're already doing business with — such as a utility or phone company — you can also call the number on the monthly billing statement. 

4.    Stay Alert. 
Even if you initiate the call, you might not be safe. Before you give any personal or financial information over the phone, check out the company's credentials — ask the person to mail you information, check with the Better Business Bureau, take a look at the company's website and ask for references. 

5.    Take Your Time. 
Scammers often try to create a false deadline. If you feel pressured to make a decision, hang up. You've spent a lifetime earning your money. You deserve a little time to choose how to spend it.

6.    Be Part of the Solution. 
You can help prevent others from falling victim to scammers. The early warning system for the Cyber Crime Department is every one of us. If you've received a call, mailing or email you think might be from a scammer, report the incident to the Cyber Crime Department.

7 ways to keep your devices safe while travelling

It’s almost that time of the year again. You’ve worked hard and now it’s time to relax and enjoy a well-earned holiday. But, before you get to lay by the pool there’s a couple of things to think about so as your information stays safe, no matter if you’re travelling home or abroad. 

While you are already benefiting from security features developed to protect your personal data such as passwords, usernames, and credit card numbers it’s always good to be proactive and consider how you will ensure your private details stay private while you enjoy a carefree break.

Here’s our 7 top tips to keep your devices secure while travelling:

Get the latest updates for your smartphone or device.

One of the first line of defense is keeping up-to-date with the latest updates for your device. Ensuring security measures are fully updated on old and new devices is wise.

Old and obsolete security leaves your gadgets vulnerable to thieves and hackers. And since you use your device for all kinds of personal transactions on your mobile device, maintaining a solid level of security is one of the best things you can do.

Activate auto lock and Password protection on your devices before Leaving.

If you haven’t been using password protection and your devices auto lock features now’s the time to start. It’s a good way to ensure that if you accidentally leave your laptop or phone unattended, or it’s lost or stolen, a would-be criminal will have a much harder time getting into your device if there’s a password set. It’s simple and easy to do and could prevent unwanted access to your life.

Turn off Bluetooth connectivity

Bluetooth is a great feature to use in the car or at home, after all it’s pretty safe to communicate with other electronic devices. However, most of us forget to turn Bluetooth off when we are in public places, especially when we travel.

With Bluetooth connectivity left open, anyone sitting nearby in a hotel lobby or nearby coffee shop can pick up your signal and access your phone. This can happen with speed and without your knowledge so the only way to avoid the threat is to keep this feature turned off while you’re on holidays.

Only Use secure Wi-Fi

This is probably one of the most important measures to take especially if you’re traveling abroad this summer. Other countries don’t have the same regulations on public Wi-Fi as Central Europe does, so sticking to a password-protected network, like the ones offered at most hotels, is your safest option if you need to access the Internet.

Similarly, if you use a public computer to access your email or check your flight details, always make sure you’ve logged out of your account before leaving. Look for the HTTPS extension at the beginning of the URL to ensure it is protected and avoid free public Wi-Fi whenever possible.

Leave Smart Devices locked in the safe.

Most hotel rooms have safes for storing sensitive info or valuables while traveling. Use the safe to store any smart devices you don’t need for the day, like a laptop, USB, external hard drive, or wearable technology. Don’t leave these things lying around your hotel room for anyone to sneakily grab.

Check sensitive accounts regularly

Before you leave your accommodation for a day of sightseeing, get into a routine of checking sensitive financial accounts. Also, check them when you get back. The sooner you spot fraudulent behavior, the better. Just make sure you log out of your accounts after each use!

Don’t Broadcast Your Vacation on Social Media.

Isn’t it exciting to share your holiday plans with the whole of your social media? Hang on a second though… You don’t hang a sign on your home letting everyone know your plans so why do it on social media?

By broadcasting your location across social media every few hours is in fact telling online criminals that you’re not at home, where you may have left important personal data unsecured—and let’s not forget about your house and valuables !

Perhaps try to post all your pictures after you get back home and limit the amount of information you share on your specific whereabouts when using social media.

No matter where you’re traveling, home or abroad. Enjoy your journey with peace of mind. Follow these seven tips, and you’ll enjoy a secure and memorable holiday.