COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Summer vacation has come and gone. It’s time to shop for supplies, board the bus, and head back to school!
Of course, in this digital day and age, technology is a staple in the classroom. Students are often given access to a device and to the World Wide Web. With that in mind, the Better Business Bureau has some advice for kids, teachers, parents and guardians when it comes to online safety from predators, fraudsters and scammers.
“So, we know that scams are a major problem,” said President of the BBB of Central Ohio, Judy Dollison. “Scammers are very smart. And really, education is the best way to protect ourselves and avoid falling victim to scams.”
That includes teaching kids about the dangers of clicking on unfamiliar links, and the importance of going directly to a known and trusted website.
“You want to look at the website to make sure there are no misspellings in the URL,” said Dollison. “That’s a very popular way that scammers will take a well known brand and just change a letter or add a space or add a dot and they use that to make you think you’re on the website. The website looks professional.”
According to the BBB, those fraudulent sites can lead to much bigger and long-term problems, especially if your child unknowingly signs up for or hands over personal information.
“You know, scams are designed to steal your money, and with identity theft, they’re designed to steal your identity and later steal your money,” Dollison said. “It’s, often times, it’s a long-term process. So, you don’t even know that they’ve had access to your information and that they’ve started taking out credit in your name until a lot of damage has been done.”
Some other ways your student can protect their privacy:
- Don’t create any accounts, or
- Download any applications without parental permission. And,
- Don’t share your location if it’s not needed.
Finally, for parents, if you’re looking forward to sharing that “first day of school” photo on social media, be mindful that posting too much information online poses some potential risks.
“Don’t share too much on social media,” said Dollison. “Again, that’s how it can lead to scammers using that information against you.”
