Self Defense and Security Blog

This is the first part in a 4 part series on High Tech Crime.
Introduction
Imagine a world without technology. Jump back to a horse and carriage, no electricity, no telephones. Now, fast forward to the new millennium. The research firm, Odyssey,
estimates that half of all U.S. homes have a personal computer and that one-third of all homes are online. They further conclude that “… the home computer is rapidly eclipsing the television as the communication and information appliance for many consumers.”1 This is great news for consumers who can access an entire universe of information on the World Wide Web. Children and teenagers can research homework topics and engage in interactive games with a click of a button. Adults can bank,trade stocks and purchase a multitude of items while surfing the Web. But danger lurks on the Web. Criminals manipulate the Web into a nightmare by distributing child pornography to unsuspecting consumers; stealing personal information such as names, addresses and credit card numbers; hacking confidential systems and personal home computers to obtain or delete information and planting harmful viruses that destroy entire systems. Unfortunately, these are just a few examples of high tech crimes which are getting more sophisticated and harder to detect as technology advances. You can help stop criminals from threatening your children, your financial well-being and your peace of mind. This high tech crime prevention information will guide you safely through your high tech adventures. Additionally, important information on preventing identity theft is included. Cases of identity theft have dramatically increased with advances in technology and this guide will help you take control and prevent further victimization. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace and printed material about cutting edge technology is almost obsolete by the time it goes to press. With this in mind, we present the basics of high tech crime prevention. This publication provides strategies on how to protect your children from child molesters who befriend potential victims on the Internet. It also covers ways to protect yourself from cyber-stalking, identity theft, fraud schemes, cellular telephone fraud and hackers. Consumers, parents, employees and employers will find useful information to protect your families and finances. Remember, high tech crime prevention techniques must evolve as rapidly as technology.
Child Safety on the Internet
The sleepy woman glanced at the clock and reached for the ringing telephone. It was 2:00 a.m. Panic gripped her as the caller identified himself as a sheriff’s deputy. He had her 14-year old daughter in his patrol car, and he needed to resolve a delicate situation. The woman thought her daughter was down the hall in her bedroom, asleep. Not so, according to the deputy. In fact, he had found her parked along a country road three or four miles from the girl’s home with a 26-year old married man from a neighboring community. Shock and disbelief gripped the woman. “How” and “why” were only a few of the questions running through her mind. The answers she found in the next few hours added to her shock. Her daughter had become a victim of Internet crime.
As a parent, if you own a home computer and allow your children Internet access, you need to be Internet literate. If you do not know how to access the Internet, take a class, read a book or spend time with your children and let them show you the amazing world of cyberspace. Be aware of what is out there and prevent your child from gaining access to inappropriate Web sites and chat rooms. Did you know that child molesters frequent chat rooms on the Internet? If you are not familiar with chat rooms, it is time you sat in on one. If your children have access to the Internet, they have access to child molesters who pose as other “teens” or confidants trying to develop friendships with unsuspecting children. Child molesters lure their victims with promises of friendship and material goods. And, too often, it works! Many adolescent Internet users look for friends – someone who will “chat” while their unsuspecting parents are not present. In addition to child molesters, other individuals try to glean personal information from your children, such as their name and address. Parents have also found that their child “borrowed” a credit card and gave the number to a new “friend” on the Internet. Once this information is on the Internet, parents are vulnerable to identity theft and other potentially expensive problems. Take charge of your computer. Set ground rules for Internet access and discuss with your children these crime prevention tips:

1. Place the computer in a centrally located area in your home – not in a child’s bedroom. This prevents “secret” communications or access and also allows all members of the family to use it.
2. Talk to your children about the Internet. Explain that it is an excellent source of information, but some sites are inappropriate and they are expected to stay away
from these sites.
3. Establish time frames for Internet access. This will encourage your children to obtain information in a timely manner and discourage aimless wandering.
4. Keep an open line of communication with your children. Discuss their Internet experiences and guide them to sites that are age-appropriate.
5. If your children have Internet access at school, find out if the school has adopted an acceptable use policy. If so, obtain a copy and use it to establish additional guidelines at home. If the school does not have a policy, become involved with your child’s school and encourage responsible Internet use. An acceptable use policy may limit the sites available to children based on age-appropriate material and set specific time limits for use.
6. Consider using software that can block or filter Internet sites or certain words that may indicate inappropriate sites.

Back To The Chat Room
Many parents and law enforcement experts believe that chat rooms are a safety risk because the identities of the “chatters” cannot be confirmed. The elusive identity of
chatters poses many risks to children. If you do allow your children to “chat,” they should follow these important safety guidelines:
1.Never give out any personal information including: name, address, city, state, school attended, telephone number, family names or other personal family information.
2. Use age-appropriate chat rooms. The larger Internet Service Providers (ISP) have moderated chat rooms with appropriate themes. Contact your provider or search the
Internet for more information.
3. Never respond to someone who wants to meet in person or send photographs. Instruct your children to exit the chat room and notify you immediately if this happens.
4. Never agree to send or receive a file without parental permission. (Receiving “blind” files may introduce your children to pornography or plant a virus in your computer.) Most importantly, if your child visits a particular chat room, spend at least five or ten minutes monitoring the conversation to see if it is appropriate. Consider purchasing computer software products that can help you monitor and control your child’s access to the Internet. It is also a good idea to have a well-known protection program if your children download files. Additionally, monitor your children’s Internet activity by checking all of the sites visited. This is accomplished by accessing the Internet and pressing the “control” and “h” keys simultaneously on your keyboard. If this doesn’t work, access the Internet, click on the “windows” pull down menu, and then click on “history.” Either way, a window will appear that lists the “history” of all sites visited. Finally, immediately report to your local law enforcement agency any attempts by others to meet your child or any inappropriate sexual conversations. If possible, save the conversation text for review by law enforcement. This will assist law enforcement in an investigation and possible prosecution.

In the next part, we’ll discuss protecting ourselves against internet scams.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 at 8:01 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.