As we head into August, millions of teens will begin the transition
to adulthood by matriculating to college. Many of these newly
independent teens will find themselves the target of online scams.
In this 24/7 digital world, sending a son or daughter off to college
can be a daunting task. Of course, parents want to do everything
possible to prepare their children for a successful transition. Previous
generations didn’t need to have “the digital talk” but in a world where what goes online stays online, it’s essential.
iovation, the trusted source for mobile and online
fraud prevention to safeguard businesses, is providing eight digital
safety tips for college-bound kids as part of its dedication to making
the Internet a safer place for everyone.
“We understand how sophisticated fraudsters can be and everyone at
iovation works hard to stop schemes that negatively impact businesses
and consumers,” said CEO Greg Pierson.
“As a company focused on stopping online fraud, and as parents, we
strongly recommend talking about online safety early and often. The
transition to college is a great time to remind young people to be
careful and stay safe online.”
Here are the top eight tips to keep your college-bound teenager safe online.
1. The Internet is forever—think about future employers, including those coveted summer internships
Don’t post anything online, including inappropriate photos, which would
make a future employer think twice about hiring you. Good judgment is
something employers look for, show that you have it.
2. Don’t add your address to your Facebook profile
Keep your address private. Anyone who needs your address can get it from you directly.
3. Don’t broadcast your location
Go ahead and check-in at your favorite coffee place and post photos of
you and friends at a concert. Just do it sparingly. People don’t need to
know where you are all the time or when your dorm room or apartment
might be empty.
4. Don’t “friend” people you don’t know
Be choosy when it comes to friending people on social media. Just
because someone sends you a friend request doesn’t mean you have to
accept it—especially if you have no idea who they are.
5. Guard your social security number
Your social security number is a winning lottery ticket to a fraudster.
It is the key to stealing your identity and taking over your accounts.
Keep your social security card locked away in a safe place. Memorize the
number so you can minimize using the card itself. Question anyone who
asks for your social security card. Employers, banks, credit card
companies and the department of motor vehicles are some of the few
legitimate entities who may need your social security number. Never give
it out online or in email.
6. Don’t use the same password everywhere
All your accounts need a password, but not the same one. Consider using
an all-in-one password manager. If you choose this option make sure that
you log out of the service when not in use. Get in the habit of locking
your computer and shutting it off at night.
7. Beware of emails phishing for personal information
Be very wary of any email with a link that asks you to disclose your
credit card details, username, password or social security number. These
emails can look official but no bank, or other legitimate business,
should email asking for this information.
8. Be Wi-Fi savvy and safe
Free Wi-Fi at coffee shops, libraries and restaurants make these great
places to hang out and study. However, free comes at the cost of
security. Unsecured networks create the risk of identity theft and other
personal information being stolen. Make sure sites you visit use
encryption software (website addresses start with https:// and usually
display a lock in the browser address bar) to block identity thieves
when using public Wi-Fi. Additionally, be careful to avoid using mobile
apps that require credit card data or personal information on public
Wi-Fi as there is no visible indicator of whether the app uses
encryption. In general it’s best to conduct sensitive transactions on a
secured private network or through your phone’s data network rather than
public Wi-Fi.
Your college-bound teenager is more connected to their friends, and
the world, through devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops, than
any generation before. Every day they like, tweet, text and share. As
long as they use common sense and take a few precautions, their online
world can be a safe one that provides value.
About iovation
iovation protects
online businesses and their end users against fraud and abuse through a
combination of advanced device identification, shared device reputation
and real-time risk evaluation. More than 3,000 fraud managers
representing global retail, financial services, insurance, social
network, gaming and other companies leverage iovation’s database of
Internet devices and the relationships between them to determine the
level of risk associated with online transactions. The company’s device
reputation database is the world’s largest, used to protect more than 10
million transactions and stop an average of 200,000 fraudulent
activities every day. The world’s foremost fraud experts share
intelligence, cybercrime tips and online fraud prevention techniques in
iovation’s Fraud Force Community, an exclusive virtual crime-fighting
network. For more information, visit www.iovation.com.