In this article, we’re going to look at how these scams work, what deepfakes are, and, most importantly, how you can protect yourself.

Celebrities endorsing shady products? It could be a scam

Hackers have been creating videos featuring famous celebrities promoting shady products or giveaways. Maybe it’s an actor offering “exclusive cryptocurrency opportunities” or a pop star announcing “free concert tickets” if you click a link. These scenarios can look and sound incredibly real, but they are often scams designed to trick you.

READ MORE: Gamers Beware! Hackers are Targeting You

Hackers are banking on the fact that you trust your favorite celebrities. They use that trust to get you to act against your best interest, such as entering personal details or making payments. It’s incredibly easy to fall for it, but with a little awareness, you can stay one step ahead.

What are deepfakes?

You might be wondering, “What exactly is a deepfake?” A deepfake is a video or audio clip where artificial intelligence (AI) is used to convincingly replicate a person. In the context of scams, this often means creating a realistic version of a celebrity’s face or voice to deceive viewers.

Why are deepfakes so convincing?

The key reason deepfakes of celebrities are so convincing is the sheer amount of source material available. Celebrities are everywhere – movies, talk shows, podcasts, social media – and all of that is fuel for deepfake AI. The AI studies their facial expressions, voice tone, and movements, and then recreates them nearly perfectly. This level of accuracy makes it extremely difficult to determine whether a video is real or fake just by watching it.

How to spot a deepfake scam

Spotting a deepfake isn’t always easy, but there are signs you can look for to protect yourself.

• Check the account. Does the account posting the video look legitimate? Often, scammers will use usernames that are very close to the real celebrity’s name but with subtle variations, such as an extra letter or number.
• Verify on official channels. Head over to the celebrity’s known real social media accounts. Are they promoting this product or giveaway on their official platforms? If a deepfake video claims that Taylor Swift is endorsing a new product, yet there’s no mention on her verified pages, it’s a red flag, and it’s worth taking a moment to check.
• Look closely at the video. Deepfake technology is very advanced, but it’s not perfect. You might notice odd glitches, such as like unnatural blinking, awkward body movements, hands that seem to disappear, or slightly off voice patterns. These can be tell-tale signs that the video is fake.
• Does it fit the celebrity’s usual behavior? Ask yourself if the promotion makes sense for that celebrity. Would this person usually promote something such as a cryptocurrency or a random giveaway? If it feels off-brand, it probably is.

Deepfakes are getting better, so stay vigilant

The truth is that deepfakes are getting more convincing by the day. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake. That’s why it’s essential not to trust videos of celebrities blindly, even if they appear authentic. Scammers thrive on impulse reactions, so if something seems too good to be true, take a step back and think it through.

READ MORE: Did You Just Receive a Text from Yourself?

Awareness is your biggest weapon against these scams, so please share this information with friends and family who might need to be made aware of how far this technology has come.

Think you might have been scammed?

If you think you might have fallen victim to a deepfake scam, especially if you’ve been asked to install software or allow access to your computer, don’t panic. Give us a call.

We’re here to help assess the situation and take steps to keep you secure. Scams such as these are becoming more common, but with the right support, you can minimize the impact and avoid falling victim again.

Conclusion

Deepfake AI celebrity scams are a modern threat, using the faces and voices we know and trust to pull us into traps. But remember, staying alert and questioning anything that feels out of place can go a long way to keeping you safe. And if you need any help, Hopedale Technologies is just a call away. Call 508-478-6010 to reach us.

Not all shopping apps are created equally. Often people get excited and install an app without checking privacy practices. Apps can collect more data from your smartphone than you realize. Your data can be at risk whether you use your phone for personal use, business use, or both. So can your privacy.

Shady Data Collection Practices from Popular Shopping App SHEIN

Recently, security experts found a popular shopping app spying on users’ copy-and-paste activity. This app tracked users’ keystrokes, screenshots, and GPS locations. This raises the question: Is your online shopping app invading your privacy?

SHEIN is the app in question, and it’s a popular shopping app with millions of users. According to reports, researchers found the app collected data from users’ clipboards. This included any text that users copied and pasted. This means that if the user copied and pasted sensitive information, the app would have access, including passwords or credit card numbers.

READ MORE: Smart Tips to Stop Money From Being Stolen Through Online Banking

Not only that, but the app was also found to be tracking users’ GPS location. SHEIN also collected data from device sensors, including the accelerometer and gyroscope. This means that the app could track users’ movements and gather information about their use of their devices.

The app’s developers claimed the data collection was for “optimizing user experience.” A very vague explanation that’s used by other app developers as well. The developers stated that the collected data was only used for internal purposes. But this explanation wasn’t enough to please privacy experts. Those experts raised concerns about the app’s data collection practices.

Temu Data Collection Practices Questioned

This isn’t the first time people caught an app grabbing data without users’ knowledge. Many popular apps collect user data, often for targeted advertising purposes.

READ MORE: Is Your Data Breached? What To Do

The popularity of the shopping app Temu has been exploding recently. Since the app appeared in a Superbowl Ad in 2023, people have been flocking to it.

But Temu is another shopping app with questionable data collection practices. Some of the data that Temu collects includes:

• Your name, address, phone number
• Details you enter, like birthday, photo, and social profiles
• Your phone’s operating system and version
• Your IPS address and GPS location (if enabled)
• Your browsing data

So, what can you do to protect your privacy when using online shopping apps? Read on for a few tips.

Tips to Protect Your Privacy When Using Shopping Apps

Know What You’re Getting Into (Read the Privacy Policy)
Yes, it’s hard to stop and read a lengthy privacy policy when you just want to use an app. But if you don’t, you could share much more than you realize.

Before downloading an app, make sure to read its privacy policy. This will give you an idea of what data the app takes and how it’s used. Search keywords like “collect” and “your data” to save time. This can help you jump to data collection details.

READ MORE: Mobile Malware Has Increased 500%

If you do this before you download, you may change your mind. After learning how much data the app collects from you, you may decide it isn’t worth it.

Turn Off Sharing Features
Turn off any data-sharing features you don’t need in your phone’s settings, such as location services. Most smartphones allow you to choose which apps you want to use it with.

Explore both your phone settings and the app’s settings to restrict data sharing as much as possible.

Remove Apps You Don’t Use
Remove apps from your phone if you’re not using them regularly. Having unused apps on your phone is a considerable risk. Those apps can still collect data even if they’re not actively in use—for example, browsing activity or your activity in other mobile apps.

Research Apps Before You Download
It’s easy to get caught up in a fad. You hear your friend talk about an app and want to check it out. But it pays to research before you download. Look up the app and check security and data collection keywords. Inform yourself before downloading an app that might compromise your device data and activity.

Shop on a Website Instead
You can limit the dangerous data collection of shopping apps by using a website instead. Most legitimate companies have an official website. One where you can buy the same things as you can buy using the app.

Most browsers will ask after you’ve entered a new password into a site or changed a password if you want it stored for you. That way, when you revisit that site, the browser can autofill your access credentials. It saves you the struggle of trying to keep all your passwords straight.

READ MORE:  How the Bad Guys Get Your Passwords

The problem is that some sites, including legitimate sites, can be compromised with a hidden form. You’ll never see it, but your browser will. So, it will autofill that form in clear, unencrypted text. This allows bad actors to capture your username and password without your knowledge.

Another risk? Irresponsible digital marketers may use hidden autofill forms to track your online activity. That’s done without your consent.

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Using browser autofill with a password manager can also confuse, especially if your browser auto-fills, whereas the manager asks before filling in forms. Using both simultaneously, you also risk duplicating passwords, which could make it challenging to track your passwords and increase the risk of security breaches.

How to turn off autofill

You can protect your passwords by turning off autofill on any browser you use:

• On Microsoft Edge, go to Settings, then Profiles, then Passwords, and turn off “Offer to save passwords.”
• On Google Chrome, go to Settings, then Passwords, and turn off “Offer to save passwords.”
• On Firefox, open Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Logins and Passwords, and “Autofill logins and passwords.”
• On Safari, from the Preferences window, select and turn off Auto-fill.

Can I keep using password managers?

A password manager, such as LastPass (our choice) or 1Password, typically provides more security than browser autofill. Password managers have robust encryption algorithms to protect your login credentials, which means that even if your device is compromised, your passwords are safe.

READ MORE:  The Benefits of Password Managers

Still, you face the same risks if the manager auto-fills your credentials. Most password managers have autofill disabled by default. That’s good. Leave preemptive autofill off. You might see it called “Autofill on page load.” Keep that turned off, too.

Our advice? Use a password manager that requires you to click a box before it fills in your credentials. This action prevents your information from automatically populating a hidden form.

Securing your online activity is an ongoing challenge. Hopedale Technologies can help identify ways you can protect your privacy and data online. Contact us today at 508-478-6010.

Deepfake has gone mainstream. You’ve probably seen a movie or TV show with a character complaining about images or videos that look real. You should also be wary of deepfake voice scams.

Deepfake is a mashup of the words deep learning and fake. The technology uses artificial intelligence and machine deep-learning algorithms. This can create convincing representations of people for special effects or silly videos, but these fake videos or images can also be more dangerous.

Malicious deepfakes spread false information or can defame or scam people. We’d like to discuss that in more detail here: Deepfake voice scams.

This type of scam manipulates synthesized speech to convince you someone is saying something they didn’t actually say. This increasingly common scam tricks you into providing sensitive information or sending money.

Criminals first record a voice sample from their victim. They might use speeches, TikTok or YouTube videos, podcasts, or phone conversations. Then, they turn to a tool such as ElevenLabs, Resemble, Overdub, ReadSpeaker, or Voice.ai. These platforms analyze speech patterns and create a voice mimicking the original. The bad actors can then generate a new speech that sounds like the original speaker said it. They script it, and the Ai voice says it.

READ MORE:  Don’t  Be Scammed by Smishing

Examples of deepfake scams include creating a voice that mimics a family member. They’ll script a request for help in an emergency. Or you might get a call from a lawyer claiming to need payment to help defend a family member.

You might also hear from a celebrity who wants you to donate to their charity. The fake voice might also ask for sensitive information such as banking details. After all, who wouldn’t trust Liam Neeson if he called personally?

READ MORE:  4 Simple Tips for Safe Internet Banking

A tech support scam is another common one. The scammer creates a voice for a customer support rep from a prominent company. They request remote access to your computer to “fix” a non-existent problem. Instead, they’ll steal sensitive information such as login credentials or install malware.

How to defend against deepfake scams?

This technology does a good job, and the scam can be very convincing. Be cautious of unexpected requests for personal information or money made by phone. Be especially suspicious if the request appeals to you emotionally to act now.

READ MORE:  6 Ways to Combat Social Phishing Attacks

Confirm before you share sensitive data or transfer money. For example, if you’re asked to pay a lawyer to help out your grandson in an accident, check in with him first. Or, if someone calls from your internet service provider, use a trusted phone number to confirm their authenticity.

We can help you combat deepfake scams. We can install email and web filtering, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and endpoint protection. Hopedale Technologies can also watch networks for signs of attack and respond to cut potential damage. Call us today at 508-478-6010.

You’re already keeping an eye on the big things, such as ransomware or data breaches, and you’ll also be ensuring you have a data backup and disaster recovery plan in place. But don’t overlook the small issues – they can be just as vital to your cybersecurity.

For one thing, don’t undervalue physical security for your business technology. In America, there have been reports recently of attacks on power stations, but these aren’t sophisticated cyber hacks. Attackers with guns are breaching the physical premises and shooting transformers. It shows that you focus on preventing cyber threats at the expense of perimeter protection.

This also means reminding employees not to let unknown personnel into the building and telling them to take down those post-it notes on their PCs with their passwords.

READ MORE:  What Are the Advantages of Implementing Conditional Access?

Allowing your people to work on software past its support date could also be a bigger deal than you think. The “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” mentality could open you to attack. Hackers seek out vulnerabilities tied to outdated systems. They can leverage small openings to wreak havoc on your business.

Small steps can make a big difference

Similarly, don’t fall for the idea that cybersecurity effort needs to be complicated to do the job. There are small steps your business can take to protect itself.

Cyber hygiene is a good starting point. Ensure your people aren’t reusing weak passwords across accounts. Make keeping track of complex passwords easier by using online wallets such as LastPass.

Keep computers updated and software patched. Manufacturers keep up with threats and upgrade their code to address known vulnerabilities. All you need to do is allow the update when it’s offered. It can be inconvenient, but agreeing to that update can save you a big problem.

READ MORE:  The Biggest Vulnerabilities That Hackers Are Feasting On Right Now

Educate employees about using public Wi-Fi networks. They may think they are being productive by logging in while in line at the coffee shop, but that public access point could be putting your systems at risk. One big problem is that an attacker could be set up on that hotspot to intercept sensitive data.

Encrypt data. This helps you protect data wherever it may be, not just on-site. A hacker intercepting that data would still need decryption capabilities to get access.

READ MORE:  Is That Really a Text From Your CEO…Or Is It a Scam?

Multi-factor authentication also helps to protect your business. After all, a criminal could get access to an employee’s username and password from a phishing attack. If you don’t add a second layer (at least) of authentication, they can easily log into your network and do damage.

Need help with cybersecurity issues? Hopedale Technologies can help you with the big and the small. Contact us today at 508-478-6010.

Let’s look just at August 2022:

• A breach at communications giant Twilio exposes 1900 users’ phone numbers and SMS verification codes.
• Researchers discovered at least 9000 virtual-network computing endpoints exposed online without a password.
• CISCO confirms a ransomware gang has exfiltrated 2.8GB of data.
• An American neurology practice notifies 363,833 individuals of a data breach.
• Four million Twitter users are thought to have been affected by a data breach at the social media firm.
• And that’s all during a 10-day period!

In its annual Cost of a Data Breach study, IBM found the cost of a breach hit a record high this year, at nearly $4.4 million.

How does a data breach work?
A data breach involves unauthorized access to confidential, sensitive, or protected information, which can happen to anyone. Data breaches occur mainly when hackers can exploit user behavior or technology vulnerabilities.

The threat surface continues to grow exponentially. We are increasingly reliant on digital tools such as smartphones and laptops. With the Internet of Things (IoT), we’re adding even more endpoints that unauthorized users can access.

Popular methods for executing malicious data breaches include:

• Phishing – emails in which hackers persuade users to hand over access credentials or the data itself;
• Brute-force attacks – hackers use software and sometimes even hijacked devices to guess password combinations until they get in;
• Malware – infects the operating system, software, or hardware (often without the user knowing) and steals private data.
• Disgruntled employees or political hacktivists can also be behind data breaches. However, more often than you hope, the breach is due to human error.

Basic steps to avoid data breaches
Too many data breaches trace back to people using weak access credentials. Yes, people still use “password” or “123456” to log in at work! Thus, enforcing strict password policies is essential in countering data breaches.

READ MORE:  The Unexpected Benefits of Password Managers

Multi-factor authentication can also help. This way, even if the person uses a poor password or their strong password is stolen, the hacker has to work to get access. They might need the user’s physical device to confirm a one-time-use code sent to verify identity.

It’s also important to patch and upgrade software as soon as asked. Manufacturers support security by keeping abreast of hacker attacks throughout the world. They’ll also watch for bugs and any vulnerabilities. Disregarding that message to upgrade or patch could leave your computers at risk.

READ MORE:  Why Your Windows Updates Are More Important Than Ever

Encrypting all sensitive data can also cut the risks of a data breach. That way, if the bad guys get inside your systems, they can’t do anything with the information they access.

With more people working remotely, the number of users doing business on their devices is also up, representing another data breach risk. Enforce strict Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies to minimize exposure. You might require virtual private networks and professional-grade managed antivirus protection.

READ MORE: Protecting Shared Computers for Work from Home

Don’t risk data breach damage
Data breaches cause users downtime, stress, and loss of money. Businesses may lose customers and also have to pay legal fees or compliance fines. Don’t let this happen to you. A managed services provider like Hopedale Technologies can install protection and take precautions against data breaches for individuals and businesses.

One phishing email can be responsible for a company succumbing to ransomware and having to face costly downtime. It can also lead a user to unknowingly hand over the credentials to a company email account that the hacker then uses to send targeted attacks to customers.

Phishing takes advantage of human error, and some phishing emails use sophisticated tactics to fool the recipient into divulging information or infecting a network with malware.

Mobile phishing threats skyrocketed by 161% in 2021.

Your best safeguards against the continuous onslaught of phishing include:

• Email filtering
• DNS filtering
• Next-gen antivirus/anti-malware
• Ongoing employee cybersecurity awareness training

To properly train your employees and ensure your IT security is being upgraded to meet the newest threats you need to know what new phishing dangers are headed your way.

Here are some of the latest phishing trends that you need to watch out for in 2022.

Phishing Is Increasingly Being Sent via Text Message

Fewer people are suspicious of text messages than they are of unexpected email messages. Most phishing training is usually focused on the email form of phishing because it’s always been the most prevalent.

But cybercrime entities are now taking advantage of the easy availability of mobile phone numbers and using text messaging to deploy phishing attacks. This type of phishing (called “smishing”) is growing in volume.

People are receiving more text messages now than they did in the past, due in large part to retailers and service businesses pushing their text updates for sales and delivery notices.

This makes it even easier for phishing via SMS to fake being a shipment notice and get a user to click on a shortened URL.

Business Email Compromise Is on the Rise

Ransomware has been a growing threat over the last few years largely because it’s been a big money-maker for the criminal groups that launch cyberattacks. A new up-and-coming form of attack is beginning to be quite lucrative and thus is also growing.

Business email compromise (BEC) is on the rise and being exploited by attackers to make money off things like gift card scams and fake wire transfer requests.

What makes BEC so dangerous (and lucrative) is that when a criminal gains access to a business email account, they can send very convincing phishing messages to employees, customers, and vendors of that company. The recipients will immediately trust the familiar email address, making these emails potent weapons for cybercriminals.

Small Businesses Are Being Targeted More Frequently With Spear Phishing

There is no such thing as being too small to be attacked by a hacker. Small businesses are targeted frequently in cyberattacks because they tend to have less IT security than larger companies.

43% of all data breaches target small and mid-sized companies, and 40% of small businesses that become victims of an attack experience at least eight hours of downtime as a result.

Spear phishing is a more dangerous form of phishing because it’s targeted and not generic. It’s the type deployed in an attack using BEC.

It used to be that spear-phishing was used for larger companies because it takes more time to set up a targeted and tailored attack. However, as large criminal groups and state-sponsored hackers make their attacks more efficient, they’re able to more easily target anyone.

A result is small businesses receiving more tailored phishing attacks that are harder for their users to identify as a scam.

The Use of Initial Access Brokers to Make Attacks More Effective

We just discussed the fact that large criminal groups are continually optimizing their attacks to make them more effective. They treat cyberattacks like a business and work to make them more profitable all the time.

One way they are doing this is by using outside specialists called Initial Access Brokers. This is a specific type of hacker that only focuses on getting the initial breach into a network or company account.

The increasing use of these experts in their field makes phishing attacks even more dangerous and difficult for users to detect.

Business Impersonation Is Being Used More Often

As users have gotten savvier about being careful of emails from unknown senders, phishing attackers have increasingly used business impersonation. This is where a phishing email will come in looking like a legitimate email from a company that the user may know or even do business with.

Amazon is a common target of business impersonation, but it also happens with smaller companies as well. For example, there have been instances where website hosting companies have had client lists breached and those companies sent emails impersonating the hosting company and asking the users to log in to an account to fix an urgent problem.

More business impersonation being used in phishing attacks mean users have to be suspicious of all emails, not just those from unknown senders.

Is Your Company Adequately Protected from Phishing Attacks?

It’s important to use a multi-layered strategy when it comes to defending against one of the biggest dangers to your business’s wellbeing. Get started with a cybersecurity audit to review your current security posture and identify ways to improve.

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Featured Image Credit

This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.

Ransomware headlines focus on interrupted hospital services or downtime at major companies. But ransomware can just as easily infect your home computer.

You may think the bad guys wouldn’t care about your residential system, but you’d be wrong, especially now. Think of all the people at home connecting remotely to business networks. Plus, kids are a weak cyber protection link as they don’t fully understand the risks.

When you’re a victim of ransomware, you can’t do anything on your computer. Cybercriminals encrypt your files and demand you pay a ransom to unlock your device. They’ll often ask for cryptocurrency in return for the encryption key.

How to prevent home ransomware

Ransomware in residential homes may not grab headlines, but it’s still going to be big news at your house. Any computers connected to the home network with the ability to save to one another could be infected.

Malware may infect your devices, and you might not even know it. You need a cybersecurity solution for your home that looks where you can’t. Strong antivirus software uses machine learning that supports anti-ransomware. This artificial intelligence (AI) reviews a database of known threats before running new files on your computer, detecting and blocking any malware before it runs. We recommend business-grade VIPRE Managed Antivirus for the best protection.

You’ll also need to have a good backup plan. Don’t risk losing access to your precious family photos and important documents. Instead, follow the best practices of backup and use a 3-2-1 backup strategy. This means having 3 copies of your data. Two of these should be located on different devices like your computer and a portable backup drive. The other backup copy should be secured offsite in the cloud. Making frequent backups and keeping them separate from your network can help preserve your data in the event of a malware attack. Could your backups survive a ransomware attack?

For home cloud backup, we like iDrive. You can set this program to run automatically, so your off-site backup is always protected. We also offer business-grade managed backup that is monitored by Hopedale Technologies.

Always be on the lookout

Phishing is the top way ransomware infiltrates a computer. Cybercriminals mimic reputable companies and create emails that look like they are coming from a trusted website. Unsuspecting recipients open the familiar-looking message and click on their fraudulent links.

Caution everyone, especially kids, against clicking on links or downloading attachments, especially if the email makes an urgent or emotional appeal.

You can also stay safe by being careful of what websites you visit. One type of ransomware gets you to download and install the software, while another installs it without you knowing when you visit an infected site. When online, look for the lock icon before the domain name, indicating encrypted Web traffic. And avoid clicking on any download links on the sites you visit. Need more ideas to stay safe online? Check out 7 Tips for Better Cybersecurity.

Regularly, there are stories about major companies being hacked, their customer data stolen, and their customers left stranded in the news today.  Hackers commonly use data stolen from one site to access others where login credentials have been reused between accounts.  In some cases, access to bank accounts has been gained simply by using a compromised email account.

Businesses and individuals can face significant losses simply because a third party outside their control has been hacked or compromised.

Password Management

Good security practice uses a unique and strong password for every login you use.  A strong password should include, where possible, capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and character symbols. It is clearly impossible to manually remember a strong password for each one of the dozens of logins needed today.  Few would even attempt to.  A password manager makes storing, retrieving, and using unique passwords easy.

When using a password manager, an individual must remember only one strong password to access a database, which contains a different login password for each service.  This database can be synced between multiple devices, saved and backed up to the cloud, and even used to create strong passwords for you.

We’re happy to suggest the best solution for your needs and set it up, too. Here at Hopedale Technologies, we use LastPass to manage our passwords. To learn more about LastPass click HERE. 

3 Internet Habits To Keep Kids Safe

How can you make the internet a safer place for your children? It’s a common concern as all parents want their kids to be protected and happy whenever they go online. It’s relatively easy to supervise and monitor the very young ones as they stare delightedly at the Disney Junior site. Still, the risks significantly increase as kids get older and more independent.

You’ve probably heard the term ‘cyber safety’ before, but safe internet usage goes beyond reminding them not to talk to strangers. With the evolution of the internet and how it’s now woven seamlessly into our lives, the focus needs to be on ingrained habits. That means ensuring your children have the tools and predefined responses to online events so that no matter what happens, they’re not placing themselves (or your family) at risk.

Setting up these habits is easy and begins with three basic understandings:

Downloads are a no-go

Most kids can’t distinguish between a legitimate download and a scam/malicious link. It’s not their fault; the online world is full of things that will trick even the savviest adult. The difference is that kids tend not to take that extra moment to check exactly where that link is pointing, question whether it’s too good to be true, or even read what they agree to. They want to get back to what they were doing, and if something pops up, their first instinct is to click ‘yes’ – so it goes away. Unfortunately, that single ‘yes’ may have just opened the doors to malware and viruses that will ruin their computer. Set a family rule that they need to ask permission for all downloads (an adult will check it first) and never click a popup. Before you give download permission or check a popup, talk through exactly what you’re checking and why. As your child matures, get them involved in this process, so their safe habits extend outside the home.

Critical thinking is a must

Most youngsters think the internet is magical and can’t imagine their life without it. To them, the internet is on the same level as oxygen! With that acceptance, though, comes unwavering trust that the internet would never lie to them, never trick them, and never hurt them. While we adults know better, it’s because we already view the internet with a certain level of distrust. The best way to keep kids safe is to teach them to approach every aspect of the internet with critical thinking. That includes teaching them to question the motives of other people online. Is that person really a kid? What do they really want? Unfortunately, all kids need to be aware that predators use the internet to target and lure children. Ensure your children tell you immediately if a stranger makes contact. Along with this stranger danger, teach them to identify what marks something as suspicious and what they should avoid. If they encounter anything inappropriate, they should shut down the computer and come straight to you.

The internet is forever

Kids have an overwhelming drive to contribute to the internet; they don’t think twice about recording a video, jumping in a chat room, or onto social media. The world is their playground! But what they don’t understand until they’ve been burned is that anything they upload, write or say is on the internet forever. Even if they delete their content or use a self-erase platform, someone can still screenshot their posts and send it right back out. Many cyber-bullying cases are based on this type of situation. Once your kids know that everything they post is permanent, they’ll be more likely to pause and think.

Are you looking for more tips, support, and information on Safer Internet Day? Click HERE to view the 2022 website.