Consumer Online Safety
Protect Your Identity
There's no surefire way to stop ID theft because so much of your information is already out there. There are steps you can take to reduce the threat to your personal data.
• Get three free credit reports a year. You're entitled to a free credit report once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus. Order one every four months by going to annualcreditreport.com or calling 877-322-8228. You can get another set of free reports if you call any one of the major bureaus and request that it place a 90-day fraud alert on your file. The alert tells lenders that are checking your report that they must call you before they extend credit in your name.
• Monitor online banking and brokerage accounts a few times a week. Also check your credit-card statement every month. Unknown charges on any of these accounts could indicate a thief is testing your debit-card information.
• Don't share. Leave your Social Security card at home, and don't offer your number to anyone unless it's for tax, employment or credit purposes. Shred financial documents you no longer need. And lock your mailbox.
Keeping Kids Safe Online: Tips for Parents
• Allowing children to spend unlimited time online, surfing aimlessly, is asking for trouble. Instead, parents are recommended to set aside time to explore the Internet together. If your child has some computer experience, let him or her take the lead. Visit areas of the WWW that have special sites for children.
• Instruct children to not give personal information online. They never really know who they’re talking to online. And even if they think they know who they are talking to, there could be strangers lurking and reading their posts without letting you know they are there. Don’t let your children put personal information on their profiles. It’s like writing their personal diary on a billboard.
• Most search engines now have filtering options. By selecting one of these options, most inappropriate content is filtered out and the search results are typically kid-friendly. Designed just for kids, yahooligans! and askjeeves go a step further by offering hand-selected sites only.
• More great information for parents available at www.wiredkids.org
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