With the school year starting again, social media is full of adorable back-to-school photos. Oftentimes, these pictures feature a child holding a “first day of school” sign with basic information, such as their name and grade. But before you jump on the trend and snap a similar picture of your little one, Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Carolinas (BBB) wants you to read these tips and be cautious about what you share.
Back-to-school photo tips
*Avoid sharing personal details about your child. Back-to-school photos often involve kids holding a board with their full name, age, height, and other details. Scammers or predators could use this information to commit identity theft or earn your child’s trust.
*Leave off information about kids’ schools. Even sharing the name of your child’s school, teacher, or grade level could make them a target for unscrupulous people. Not to mention, these details are often used as security questions for banking or credit card accounts.
*Double check your privacy settings. Review your social media account’s privacy settings regularly. Be mindful of who can view your posts. You may want to remove personal information from your account that others can see, such as your telephone number or address.
*Watch out for phony friend requests. Don’t accept friend requests from strangers. Also, think twice before you accept a friend request from someone you are already connected with. It could be an impostor trying to access your information and friends list.
When buying new supplies and clothes as your children return to school this year, you should also be thinking about how to help them stay safe online and avoid being easy targets for online scammers.
Creating accounts on websites without permission: Social media sites are ripe with strangers with intentions that may be quite different than yours. Many sites are designed to collect and sell unauthorized user details and behaviors to advertisers seeking targeted marketing. When creating an account, some kids may falsely create a birthdate to meet the minimum age requirement. Know what your child is doing online, and keep track of the social media sites and accounts to which they have access.
Contests and giveaways: Contests and giveaways often collect a hefty amount of personal information on their entry forms. Many are thinly disguised ways of collecting personal or financial information that could lead to identity theft. Ensure your child doesn’t have access to banking or credit card information, and supervise the filling out of any forms.
Phishing: Adults are not the only ones who receive spam and junk mail. Kids often get junk mail, and since they don’t have much online experience, they are more susceptible to clicking on links and answering questions they probably shouldn’t. While some emails may be legitimate, the last thing parents want, or need, is a $500 bill from a fraudulent website where a purchase may have been made- or worse, giving up personal information that can be tracked back to your home.
Understand apps: Apps are downloaded software that operates on various devices, such as smartphones. However, certain apps might collect and share personal information about your child or target your child with ads. Even free apps may include paid features, and children may not understand that some apps or game features cost money since they were labeled free to download. They may click on these so-called free games and cost parents or guardians a hefty bill at the end of the month.
File sharing sites: Many websites allow children to download free media. A child may not realize that these sites often come with the risk of downloading a virus, allowing identity thieves to access the gaming device, personal computer, or cell phone that’s being used. From there, the cyberthief can track financial transactions, and physical location, or even tap into the household wifi without anyone knowing it.
For more information
Read more on keeping children safe online and visit BBB’s Back to School HQ.
Visit the National Cybersecurity Alliance for the latest information.
For more information, visit bbb.org.
Contributed/Courtesy photo.
