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Internet Safety: How they lure young people
Predators use the anonymity of the Internet to talk to young people. They look for clues to figure out what you
care about and even where you live. Too often, it’s easy because you have unknowingly provided your personal information.
1/ User names / Screen names
While a user name or screen name seems like a pretty innocent thing, it can be a gold mine of information for a predator. Many people choose something familiar and easy to remember You might think about your favorite bands, pets, hobbies and sports as part of a user name or screen name. But what information are you giving a predator to use?
User name:
Abercromshoper89
This tells the predator that you like to shop, Abercrombie and Fitch is your favorite, and that you were born in 1989.
User name:
prisonerofhermione15
This tells the predator that you are a Harry Potter fan, you especially like the character Hermione Granger and you are likely 15.
Armed with this information, a predator will talk to Abercromshoper89 about shopping and fashion while talking to prisonerofhermione15 about Harry Potter and magic.
It may not seem important, but providing a predator with any personal information that helps him learn how to become a trusted friend is potentially dangerous.
When choosing a user name or screen name, think of the game “MadLibs.” Try using one of the following formulas to select a user name:
>>> Adjective + noun
minielephant
>>> Season + noun
summerteeth
>>> RANDOM number + ice cream flavor
45cookiedough
>>> Actor’s name + action verb
Travoltadancing
A user name or screen name with a random selection of words such as “Soupshoe” is much better than a potentially descriptive identifier such as “Missy1981.” Make sure your user identifier doesn’t relate to you, your age, your school, your location or your interests.
2/Profiles
Profiles can provide predators with a lot of useful information. Profiles ask for information like your real name, birthday, address, phone number, hobbies and what school you go to. Filling out this information is meant to be useful to toher teens and young adults who are looking for people to chat with who are interested in the same things. The problem is that predators use personal information to gain your trust and find ways to manipulate you. Filling out profiles is not required to use most chat programs, and filling them out is a pain in the neck anyway. To protect yourself, fill out profiles only on sites that allow you to control who has access to the profile.
3/What You Say
Some predators will do something called "cyberstalking" (and yes, it's as scary as it sounds). A predator will go to a teen or young adult chat room and pick a user name to follow through chat rooms. The predator will slowly accumulate information about that user by simply reading what they are chatting about. Young adults and teens face many problems with peer pressure, parents, family members and friends. Chat rooms seem like the perfect place to gripe about all those people, but watch out for the people too anxious to take your side. Often, predators will play on your emotions by saying they went through the same thing.
4/Selling Stuff
By selling things online, you can always make a quick buck off that old Pokemon or Ninja Turtles collection you got for your birthday when you were six. But selling things can also provide dangerous information to predators. Sometimes, a seller will provide their telephone number so that people interested can call and ask questions about the item; predators don't always call. Instead they use your telephone number to track you down. Providing your phone number not only tlels a predatory whwat state you live in, it also can lead them to your house.
<<<Go back. >>>Read on.
care about and even where you live. Too often, it’s easy because you have unknowingly provided your personal information.
1/ User names / Screen names
While a user name or screen name seems like a pretty innocent thing, it can be a gold mine of information for a predator. Many people choose something familiar and easy to remember You might think about your favorite bands, pets, hobbies and sports as part of a user name or screen name. But what information are you giving a predator to use?
User name:
Abercromshoper89
This tells the predator that you like to shop, Abercrombie and Fitch is your favorite, and that you were born in 1989.
User name:
prisonerofhermione15
This tells the predator that you are a Harry Potter fan, you especially like the character Hermione Granger and you are likely 15.
Armed with this information, a predator will talk to Abercromshoper89 about shopping and fashion while talking to prisonerofhermione15 about Harry Potter and magic.
It may not seem important, but providing a predator with any personal information that helps him learn how to become a trusted friend is potentially dangerous.
When choosing a user name or screen name, think of the game “MadLibs.” Try using one of the following formulas to select a user name:
>>> Adjective + noun
stuffed ninja
>>> Size + animalminielephant
>>> Season + noun
summerteeth
>>> RANDOM number + ice cream flavor
45cookiedough
>>> Actor’s name + action verb
Travoltadancing
A user name or screen name with a random selection of words such as “Soupshoe” is much better than a potentially descriptive identifier such as “Missy1981.” Make sure your user identifier doesn’t relate to you, your age, your school, your location or your interests.
2/Profiles
Profiles can provide predators with a lot of useful information. Profiles ask for information like your real name, birthday, address, phone number, hobbies and what school you go to. Filling out this information is meant to be useful to toher teens and young adults who are looking for people to chat with who are interested in the same things. The problem is that predators use personal information to gain your trust and find ways to manipulate you. Filling out profiles is not required to use most chat programs, and filling them out is a pain in the neck anyway. To protect yourself, fill out profiles only on sites that allow you to control who has access to the profile.
3/What You Say
Some predators will do something called "cyberstalking" (and yes, it's as scary as it sounds). A predator will go to a teen or young adult chat room and pick a user name to follow through chat rooms. The predator will slowly accumulate information about that user by simply reading what they are chatting about. Young adults and teens face many problems with peer pressure, parents, family members and friends. Chat rooms seem like the perfect place to gripe about all those people, but watch out for the people too anxious to take your side. Often, predators will play on your emotions by saying they went through the same thing.
4/Selling Stuff
By selling things online, you can always make a quick buck off that old Pokemon or Ninja Turtles collection you got for your birthday when you were six. But selling things can also provide dangerous information to predators. Sometimes, a seller will provide their telephone number so that people interested can call and ask questions about the item; predators don't always call. Instead they use your telephone number to track you down. Providing your phone number not only tlels a predatory whwat state you live in, it also can lead them to your house.
<<<Go back. >>>Read on.
