• Don't believe everything you read. An offer "too good to be true" probably is.
• Remember that people online may not be who they say they are. A 14 year-old girl could really be a 55 year-old man.
• Never give out identifying information such as your name, age, or address in a public message. Strangers can find out where you live with very little personal information.
• Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user that you do not know.
• Do not respond to messages that are threatening, hateful, or simply make you feel uncomfortable.
• Get to know the Internet and the services your child is using…spend time with them online.
• Keep your computer in a common area like the family room so it is easy to see what your child is doing.
• Set reasonable rules or consider signing an Internet Agreement with your child regarding what they can and cannot do online.
• Check out blocking or filtering software. But remember: nothing beats education and parental participation when it comes to keeping kids safe online.
  
  

How to protect children against Internet crime
Some of the best computer experts are our children, many of whom use the computer before they go to Kindergarten. As educational as a computer can be for children, it also presents many risks. Children may be sexually exploited, they may be exposed to inappropriate material, they may encounter demeaning messages in chat rooms, or they may do something inappropriate that has legal or financial consequences.

Here are some important tips on how to protect your child on the Internet:

• Make sure the computer is located in a "public" room in the house - like the family room or the kitchen. It will be easier for you to monitor what your child is doing.
• Get to know the Internet and the services your child is using…spend time with them online.
• Make sure your child understands that chatting with someone online is talking to a stranger. Your child knows not to talk to a stranger on the street or at a playground--the Internet is no different.
• Make sure that your child understands not to give anyone online any personal information. That means their name, age, town or school names. Strangers can find out where you live with very little personal information.
• Make sure your child understands that a person who says they are a 14 year-old girl may really be a 55 year-old man. There is no way to tell if the person they are chatting with is telling the truth.
• Set reasonable rules or consider signing an Internet Agreement with your child regarding what you will and will not let them do online.
• Check out blocking or filtering software. But remember: nothing beats education and parental participation when it comes to keeping kids safe online.

Types of Internet Crime

Sexual Exploitation of Children
Potential dangers lurk in chat rooms. Adult pedophiles pose as children, establish online relationships with real children, and later make contact for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual activities. It is estimated that child exploitation accounts for 20% of all

Internet crime. Fraud
Con artists advertise valuable products on the Internet, ask for your money up front-and never deliver. Criminals also obtain personal identifying information (name, age, and address) and use it to obtain credit in your name.

Illegal Drugs
Your teenager can have direct contact with drug dealers in chat rooms. They can also use the Internet to find recipes and buy ingredients to make homemade "Designer drugs". These drugs have been increasingly involved in "date rapes", overdoses, and fatalities.

Cyberstalking
Cyberstalkers use the Internet to stalk or harass another person. Anonymity puts them in an advantageous position. They could be anywhere - in another country, another state, or in the room next door.

Hacking
Hackers break into a computer, gain control of the Internet Service Provide (ISP) and capture all of the personal information maintained on its subscribers.