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= =  How to be Safe on the Internet

= By Morgan Ferrans = The Internet can be a useful, educational,and fun place to be. But it can also be dangerous! Here are some ways to stay safe while using the Internet and how to make sure your personal information stays personal.

__ Email __ __Email can be a great way to communicate, but some emails can be harmful to you or your computer.__ __ALL AGES:__  SPAM - Have you ever gotten an email saying "You're today's winner of...." or "Urgent! Open this!" Well, many of these emails or what we call spam. You may have seen a "spam mailbox" in your email. Spam comes right to your email and usually tries to sell things or give your computer a **VIRUS** that can **damage or destroy it.**  CHAIN MAIL - Many emails today are chain mail, emails that usually promise money or a reward if you forward them. They may say "forward this to 10 people or else..." and can be threatening, scary, or just plain annoying. Most of these emails aren't true and nothing bad happens if you don't forward the message, and usually nothing good happens either. ** Kids ** - If you've gotten some chain mail or any suspicious mail from a sender you don't know, make sure to tell an adult BEFORE YOU OPEN IT.

How to keep yourself safe with your email: - Never give out your email to anyone except your family or friends. - Never open an email from someone you don't know. - Never forward chain mail or spam. - Try to make your email address complex and don't put personal information in your address. - Use filters on your email to sort out junk or spam email out of your inbox. -Kids - get your parents to help you monitor your email and tell someone if you're getting offensive emails. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 105%;">- Tell your friends not to give out your email without your permission, and do the same for them! =__ Identity Theft __= __ Kids and Up __ Your identity is your personal information. So what does it mean when your identity is "stolen?" It means that someone is impersonating you. They could open a bank or credit card account in your name or act as you on a social networking account. Here's some tips to keep your personal information safe. Teens and Adults: Keep track of all your accounts. If you see something that you did not do, or something has been changed on your account without your permission.... CHECK IT OUT IMMEDIATELY! Consider closing your account.

- Only put out necessary personal information onto trusted website s. - Make your password long and complex with capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and or symbols. - Change your password regularly. - Use a name you make up to use for the internet as much as possible. - Report any suspicious activity. <span style="color: #ff8800; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">- NEVER SHARE YOUR PASSWORDS WITH __ANYONE!__

__<span style="color: #b500ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">PHISHING and BANK ACCOUNT INFO __ __<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teens and Up __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What is phishing? Phishing is when someone poses to be a legitimate person or organization in order <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> to trick a person into giving out personal information. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Many times, email are sent with a link to a fake website replicating a real one. It will ask you to give out personal information, and before you know it, phishers will have all the information they need to hack and abuse your account. media type="custom" key="10663774" <span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 115%;">- Don't open links from emails until you check to make sure the link REALLY goes to where it says it does. Kids - get a trusted adult to help you before you open any link from an email. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 115%;">__- Look out for signs:__ web links that don't include the business name, spelling mistakes, and the sender's email address. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Older Teens, Adults, and Seniors __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">-This is especially important for bank account information. Make absolutely sure that you are using your bank account's website before giving out your bank information. <span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">-NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER/ BANKING INFO. ONLINE, UNLESS YOU ARE SURE YOU'RE USING A SAFE WEBSITE, ESPECIALLY FOR ONLINE SHOPPING. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> - If you get a call from someone claiming to be from a bank, hang up and call on their public number to see if it's real.

__<span style="color: #f5191b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">INSTANT MESSAGING (IM) and CHAT ROOMS __ All ages, especially KIDS and TEENS: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 115%;">IM and chat rooms can help you communicate with friends and family. So what if you get messages from someone you don't know? <span style="background-color: #fdfd8c; color: #21f2bf; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Here <span style="background-color: #fdfd8c; color: #21f2bf; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">are some steps you should take: <span style="background-color: #fdfd8c; color: #21f2bf; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">1. Don't reply to the messages. <span style="background-color: #fdfd8c; color: #21f2bf; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">2. Tell a parent, teacher, or trusted adult. <span style="background-color: #fdfd8c; color: #21f2bf; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">3. Try to see if you can block messages from that sender. <span style="background-color: #fdfd8c; color: #21f2bf; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">4. If it continues, close your account and tell an authority.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Keeping Safe: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">-In general, try to stay off public chat rooms! You can meet plenty of people offline to talk to. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">- Never give out your personal info on instant messaging sites to someone you don't know and haven't met in person. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">-Make sure you know who everyone on your contact list is, and don't accept friend requests from people you don't know. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">- Learn how to block, ignore, or report people if it is possible and you feel uncomfortable. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">- Don't reply to abusive messages, and don't do the same to anyone else. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">- <span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">***DON'T SAY OR DO ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET YOU WOULDN'T DO IN REAL LIFE!***

__<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #00ffbb; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">SEXUAL PREDATORS __

__**Teens and Up**__
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** On the internet, you can meet new people. But some of those people want to hurt you; they may sexually assault you. ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** A sexual predator is someone who has been charged with sexually offending someone. It can happen anywhere, on or offline. But commonly, adults acts as kids and get friendly with them. The kids agree to meet their "online friend," only to find out that the "kid they met online" is actually a sexual predator. Sexual predators are commonly men, but can also be women. ** <span style="color: #00ff46; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">DON'T BE FOOLED! Many times, people on the internet aren't who they say they are.

-<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Do not agree to meet someone in real life that you've only met online.
===<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">- Tell the authorities if you've met someone suspicious. Click the link to report someone or search for someone who may be a sexual offender or predator.[| Report Someone]===

-Never give out any information about you or your life to someone you don't know or anywhere online publicly, including...
<span style="color: #f59419; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Watch the video below to see how a sexual predator can trick someone!
 * 1. Name **
 * 2. Address **
 * 3. School **
 * 4. Your plans **
 * 5.Your picture **
 * 6. Your phone number **
 * 7. Email address **

media type="youtube" key="xZHq4CQekTY?rel=0" height="311" width="411" align="left"

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">__Sexting__ <span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Teens to Adults <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Sexting is sending by mobile phone posting online sexual pictures, videos, messages, or images. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Always remember: whatever you put online, stays online. And you can't control what you've sent or posted after you've done it. It's almost impossible to remove something completely from the internet once it's up there. There's no one you can trust with a sexual picture of you or one showing you without clothes. And NEVER SEND OR FORWARD ANY SEXTING YOU RECEIVE. <span style="color: #b500ff; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">THERE IS NO SAFE SEXTING. <span style="color: #b500ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">In fact, you could be breaking the law, especially if you're younger than 18. It may seem fun or flirty, but it could be considered child pornography, which is sexually inappropriate.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Think about what you're posting and the consequences....BEFORE YOU DO IT. Are you going to be ashamed if people in the future see what you posted in the past?

__<span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">CYBER-BULLYING and HARASSMENT __ 6 or older, Especially Teens The picture below is basically what cyber-bullying is: <span style="color: #b500ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">No one likes a bully. Be bullied can happen to anyone, anywhere. It can even happen online or through a phone. We call this CYBER-BULLYING. Cyber-bullying is a type of harassment. <span style="color: #b500ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Cyber-bullying is when someone uses technology to purposely harm someone, especially more than once. It can be a mean message, a rumor spread online, a threat, posting rude or inappropriate pictures, excluding someone online, or basically anything online that could harass or hurt someone. __CYBER-BULLYING CAN BE ILLEGAL.__ <span style="color: #b500ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Sadly, a large amount of kids today are cyber-bullied because of technology.About 1 in 3 teens are a victim of cyber-bullying. <span style="color: #b500ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">But why? Many people feel that is it easier to harm someone online rather than face to face. But really, the same simple rules of etiquette and manner for the real world apply online! <span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What to do if you or your friend is a victim:
 * 1) <span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">(Kids or Teens:)Tell someone!
 * 2) <span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Try to block and report the messages or sender and don't respond.
 * 3) <span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">DO NOT DO IT BACK or send it to anyone else! No one likes a cyber-bullier, so don't become one of them.
 * 4) <span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Don't delete messages. Keep them so that the bully can be tracked down if you don't know them.

<span style="color: #b500ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">__FACEBOOK and SOCIAL NETWORKING__

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Anyone who has a social networking account; suggestively pre-teens and up
Facebook and other social networking sites are a great way to, just like the name suggests, BE SOCIAL! You can connect and keep up with friends and family. But there are people on facebook who may want to stalk you or hurt your feelings. Or, what you do could hurt someone else! So how can you avoid that?
 * 1) **Know your profile!** See what kinds of settings you can change to make your profile less accessible to the public. Limit what others can see.
 * 2) ** Monitor you page or wall. ** Try to block or delete inappropriate or mean posts. And don't post them yourself!
 * 3) **Be careful with friend requests.** Only accept requests from people you know, and block anyone else. Report someone if they repeatedly try to friend you.
 * 4) **Think before you post.** Ask yourself some questions before you post. Will I be okay with what I've posted later in my life? What if someone at a job or looks at my posts? Could this post hurt someone? Do I really want the world to be able to see what I've posted?
 * 5) **Don't give out your password.** Someone could go on your account whatever actions they do or messages they send will look like they came from you.
 * 6) **Limit your personal information.** Put only necessary details about yourself that you are okay with the world being able to see. Don't give any information that would allow someone to find you like your address, school, or where you like to go and when. Don't say when you're going on vacation so that a robber won't be tempted to break into your house when you're not there.
 * 7) ** Get permission for pictures. ** It is illegal to pictures of someone without the person's permission. This can also apply to copyrighted images or pictures of a building or organization. For example, you cannot post a picture of someone at Maryvale with a Maryvale shirt on a social networking site. You must get permission.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">__SCAMS__ <span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teens and Up <span style="color: #06e471; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">A scam is similar to phishing. It is when a person uses lying and fraud to "rips you off" and get money or information. Scammers use complex schemes and trick millions of people each year. Many will pressure you into giving them what they want or will try to get you to wire money, or give money electronically. __**HOW TO TELL IF YOU'RE BEING SCAMMED:**__ Also, don't play foreign lotteries! It is illegal, but you may see a convincing ad that brags giving out large amounts of money or great prizes. However, you will be asked to pay a fee before claiming your prize, and will probably end up losing that money and without a prize. IF YOU HAVE BEEN SCAMMED, REPORT IT AT: <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;"> [|www.econsumer.gov.]
 * 1) <span style="color: #ff8800; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 115%;">**A REQUEST THAT A PAYMENT MUST BE BY WIRING MONEY.** If money is wired overseas, it is nearly impossible to track once you've been cheated. Do not wire money to anyone you don't know, especially if they want the transaction to be kept a secret.
 * 2) <span style="color: #ff8800; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 115%;">**A PROMISE THAT IF YOU "PAY NOW, YOU'LL GET YOUR MONEY BACK LATER."** Most likely the scammer will take your payment, give you no rebate, and maybe steal more money from your bank account.
 * 3) <span style="color: #ff8800; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 115%;">**DON'T GIVE IN TO MESSAGES ASKING FOR PERSONAL OR FINANCIAL DETAILS**: Emails, calls, texts, or ads can be scams. If you're worried that the message is real, contact your bank personally by their publicly listed number. Make sure to check your monthly bank statements, and investigate any transactions you're not sure you did.
 * 4) <span style="color: #ff8800; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 115%;">**DO SOME RESEARCH.** Look up a website in question and search using terms like "scam" or "review." See if people have had good or bad experiences with the website. Don't give to a charity until you've verified it's safe and real.

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">__PASSWORDS__ All Ages A password is basically an key or code in order to get into something. Passwords are made so that others can't go onto your account or enter something of yours.

<span class="wiki_link_ext">[[image:123getsecure.jpg width="354" height="199" align="left"]]
__**<span style="color: #21f2bf; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">There is basically one big rule regarding passwords: <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">DON'T TELL OTHERS YOUR PASSWORD. **__<span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">You really don't want them to have access all of your private information where they can do anything and it is blamed on you. <span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;"><span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">AND, CHOOSE YOUR PASSWORD WISELY! Don't make it something that a stranger could easily guess. Use different symbols and numbers, and don't make a number code sequential or in a pattern. For example, a pin number should not be 1,2,3,4 or 2,4,6,8.

KIDS - However, if a teacher, parent, or guardian asks for your password, you should give it to them.
__<span style="color: #0074ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">FOR KIDS __ In general, don't do something you're not sure about until you ask your parents! Always tell them if you are getting mean messages or are feeling uncomfortable. __PARENTS__ - Always monitor what your kids are doing online. Get a kid-safe web browser, or put parental controls into effect. Make your computer in a public area in your house and monitor how much time your child spends online. Talk to them about the dangers of the internet and how to stay safe.

__<span style="color: #06e471; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">FOR SENIORS __ WIth technology changing rapidly, sometimes it is confusing. So, get someone who is "tech-savvy" to help you learn exactly how to use your computer, phone, etc. and how to stay safe on it. Most of the guidelines throughout this page apply to you.

WEBSITES USED FOR RESEARCH AND IMAGES: [] [] [] http://bigbluecybersafety.wikispaces.com/keeping+your+proflie+SAFE <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[] <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[] <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[|http://www.chatdanger.com] <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[] <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[] __<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif';">http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Its your life and youre in control/Sexting.aspx __ <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[] __<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[] __ <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 17.3333px;">[|http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html#] <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[] <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[]

__<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif';">http://www.fgcu.edu/AS/Files/123getsecure.jpg __

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