While the Internet is a very useful resource, if not careful, it can also be very dangerous. With new scams popping up daily, it can be easy to get caught up in unscrupulous activities.
Tip 1: Be sure you're at the website you intended to be. It can be easy to misspell the address to a website. Some scammers take advantage of this by creating websites at these misspelled URL's.
Tip 2: If inputting sensitive information into an online form, be sure the website is secure before entering any information. Most web browsers have an icon of padlock somewhere near the bottom if the page you are visiting is secure. Also, the URL will start with "https". Notice the "s" after "http". It's short for "secure".
Tip 3: Trust your instincts. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Research it before committing to anything or giving any personal information. The internet is a great research tool. Use it to your advantage.
Tip 4: Make sure your computer is protected and up to date. Software and anti-virus updates are often released on a daily or hourly basis. If using Windows, you should visit http://update.microsoft.com/ on a regular basis or have "automatic updates" enabled. Also, be sure that your computer is protected by a firewall and anti-virus software. If kept up to date, these tools will help to prevent unauthorized access from the Internet, and viruses from infecting your computers.
Tip 5: Be careful of those emails. Spammers and Phishers abound! For those of you who don't know, a phish is a type of spam which is usually used to coax an unsuspecting recipient into giving up personal information like usernames and passwords or credit card numbers and PIN's. Some phishing scams can be very deceptive. They can look very legitimate. Common phishes appear to be from credit card companies or Paypal.com. If you're not completely sure about the legitimacy of a particular email, visit the website of the company the email appears to be from and try to verify the validity.
Tip 6: Find yourself in a bad "neighborhood" of the Internet? Leave! It is possible for your computer to be infected with a worm, virus, or spyware simply by visiting a website. Most current browsers make this less likely, but it's always best to err on the side of caution and stay away from websites which you think could be dodgy.
Bottom Line: Keep your computer up to date and trust your instincts! Your instincts are usually right. If it doesn't look and feel right, it probably isn't.
Here are some other websites you might find helpful:
Free Software Tools
- Free anti-virus software
"Avast": http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
"AVG": http://free.grisoft.com/
- Freeware internet filter
"K9": http://www1.K9webprotection.com/
Child Internet Safety
- http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
- http://www.safekids.com/
- http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/
- http://www.hectorsworld.com/
- http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexfl.htm
- http://protectkids.com/
- http://connectsafely.com/
- http://staysafeonline.org/
Safety Tips (FBI site)