Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes. My days as an Information Security technician occurred at a time when identity theft was still in its infancy. The victims of identity theft are actually a surprisingly young group, demographically speaking. The highest rate of identity theft is occurring in individuals aged from their mid twenties to their mid thirties. And identity theft through computers and the internet accounts for a portion of these incidents annually. About one in every eight Americans experience Identity theft on computers and the internet each year. Identity theft on computers and the internet can occur through fraudulent requests for personal information and through online buying services that are not secure sites and by having your personal computer compromised by someone you know and trust. More recently, identity theft has been connected to the use of social networking sites like Facebook. Read on to learn how to protect yourself from this fast rising crime.
There are safeguards you can implement to reduce the chance of identity theft through computers and the internet. A majority of identity theft that is going on is by means of offline activities, like stealing wallets, checkbooks, credit cards, mail and other personal items that contain critical identification information. Identity theft that occurs through computers and the internet tends to happen very often when your own personal computer is breached.
You can reduce your chances of this happening to you by using passwords to log into your computer, even if you're the only one using it, by changing your passwords on a regular basis and by not leaving your laptop open when unattended. These days, almost everyone has personal information stored in their computers. If you have selected "remember password" on a web site and someone goes to history and visits your frequently or recently visited sites that are linked to credit cards, other banking information and or electronic tax records, then you could be an easy mark for identity theft on your computer and the internet.
Although online identity theft is an ongoing threat to personal security, there are many companies developing and marketing software to counteract the threat called, anti-phishing software. Phishing is when someone uses the internet and sends an e-mail (spam) to a user making false claims to be a legitimate and recognized business entity in an attempt to scam the user into giving certain private information that can be used for identity theft through computers and the internet. Anti-phishing software may help, but is not a guarantee for protection, so make it your practice to keep your personal information secure to reduce your chances for identity theft on computers and the internet.
Another technique that malicious hackers and criminals use for identity theft on computers and the internet is spyware that gets into your computer and grabs lots of stored information including financial accounts, passwords and other critical information that will allow this individual access to your money and identity. So along with all the wonderful benefits that computers and the internet offer us in our daily lives, there is always, lurking out there in cyberspace, the possibility of identity theft on computers and the internet.
Computers And The Internet
Lately parenting forums have been buzzing with parents looking for ideas how to keep their teenagers from spending a lot of time on the computer and Internet. It seems that teenagers these days are hooked on the computer just as they were hooked on watching television just a decade ago. Whether they are logging into MySpace, downloading songs from iTunes, blogging, chatting with each other over IM, or spacing out surfing the Web, mounting evidence shows that teen computer use can in some cases be classified as either a compulsion or even an addiction.
How do you know as a parent when your teen's computer use is going too far? There is no easy litmus test here. If your teen loves to play online games, he may not be alone. However, if your teen seems to be sacrificing social opportunities or spending more than 25 hours a week in the online gaming arena, maybe something is wrong.
One of the Internet's most popular games, the World of Warcraft, is a self-contained online world with millions of different players from dozens of countries around the world. This online realm sucks teenagers in easily, and some have been known to stay on the World of Warcraft site for more than 70 or 80 active hours per week.
Today's teenager also has access to a variety of services available on the computer and over the Internet. Instead of using the telephone, they use instant messaging. They don't get their pictures printed at the corner drugstore anymore but upload digital pictures to MySpace and sharing them with friends and anyone else instantly. Even the ever-present radio or stereo have fallen out of vogue because the computer has much better sound and its attached woofer makes the room vibrate even more. Watching a movie on television has been replaced with playing a DVD on the computer. Teens may even do their homework and school projects on the computer.
Considering that many people get addicted to the Internet, parents should be able to recognize when their teen is developing a bad habit. The isolating, repetitive nature of computer work in general can be stunting in terms of development. In addition, parents should be concerned if their teens are not getting enough exercise, nutrition and sleep. A friend of mine told me just a few days ago "I caught my 11 year old son playing games on the Internet at four o'clock in the morning!"
What Parents can do
I have spent most of my time on the computer writing my book for the last few months. Since our kids tend to do as they see more often than they do as they are told, I know this would not be a good time to bring this subject up with my daughter.
To establish a good and argument-proof plan when approaching your teen to discuss this topic, it is vital that you know exactly what your teenager is doing while on the computer and how much time he is spending on each particular activity. Establish which activities you will allow, and what Web sites or activities are off limit.
Your plan also needs to include how much time you will allow for each activity and how many hours you are willing to allow per week. The Internet has become an unsafe place for teens in many respects, so you also might consider one of the software packages available that allow you to set parental controls similar to the parental controls which block certain TV programs. Be prepared for your teenager's question, "What do you want me to do instead?"
Set an example yourself. If you're an online junky or a solitaire addict, cut back on your computer use to provide a good example. Take time to connect with your teenager and to bring your family together for non-computer/TV related activities, and you'll likely see computer use decrease.
Both Deborahcarraro & Christina Botto are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Deborahcarraro has sinced written about articles on various topics from computers and the internet, Camping and Career Change. Deborah Carraro is an internet marketing consultant who escaped the Corporate Banking world to launch several successful online businesses including the File Recovery Pros. Visit http://www.filerecoverypros.com and http://www.smallbusinesswebpromotions.co. Deborahcarraro's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.
Christina Botto has sinced written about articles on various topics from computers and the internet, Parenting and Parental Care. Christina Botto has been involved with helping parents and teenagers resolve complicated issues for more than 14 years, observing and developing parenting strategies. Her dedication to helping parents inspired her to write her book, 'Help Me With My Teena. Christina Botto's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.
