Looking after your safety - making friends and meeting people

[Amethyst]

In the real world, we take care of our own safety, unfortunately there are safe and unsafe people in both the real world and the Internet.


We should be responsible for our own safety wherever we are, no matter what we are doing.

1. Anyone could identify you if you give out personal details, photographs, or any other information, such as information about your family, where you live, work etc.
2. Can you always believe what someone is saying? – They may not be who they seem!
   
   
3. If you’re thinking about arranging to meet someone you’ve only ever previously met on the Internet tell someone - a freind - make sure they have contact details for you and your family, also that they know where you are meeting and Who you are meeting. Having the first meeting in a public place means people are around if it goes wrong
4. Staying in the public chatroom areas means that other people are around and it is harder for someone to say something you might feel uncomfortable about. Use the ignore function if you feel uncomfortable with someone in private messaging.
   
   
5. Always ‘virus check’ any attachment or file. Don’t open or download anything unless you know and trust the person who has sent it
   
   
6. If you receive anything that you feel uncomfortable about don’t respond, save or print it to pdf, log off and tell Admin as soon as possible.
   
   
7. A person communicating with you online can tell you anything they want, they can paint a false picture of themselves, they can lie to you or exaggerate.
   
   
8. We become instinctively wary about what another person has said or we may think that something that is said is odd. At this point your inner feelings may have alerted you to something that is wrong. Trust your feelings.
9. You can talk to Admin about anything, even if it seems awful or small. If action needs taking, or people informing we can do it. We'll protect your confidentiality.
   
   
10. Don’t answer offensive messages. If you read anything that is cruel, rude, racist or threatening then ignore the message – it’s not worth a reply.
    
    
11. Don’t write anything that could upset people or that isn’t true as it could land you in trouble.
12. DO NOT give anyone you meet online unedited personal financial documents - ALWAYS remove your private details first.

Before meeting

Always tell someone that you are meeting someone from an internet correspondence.

Have them call you on your mobile during the meeting.

If you have no one then call your own answering machine to leave a message you got there safely, where you are and the time.

After the date, call your machine again and say all is good and going home and the time.

This is a good practice, in general, since someone will always know where you were if you ever do show up missing.

Print and leave their profile by your phone or give it to someone from the site that you trust. Include as much info as you have - First and last name, phone number, other e-mail addresses, where they work, home address.

Also write where, when you are meeting them and the phone number of the establishment, if necessary.

If it does not feel right, then change the situation till it feels right to you.

Be very aggressive when it comes to your comfort level and safety. Only you can make YOU feel safe. Trust yourself and be smart.

Make sure any phone number they give you is a real, valid number before you meet them.


Recently, there have been high-profile incidents in the media where young people have met up with people they have met through internet chat rooms. It’s true that some adults who are not what they pretend to be surf through chat rooms to find vulnerable young people who are willing to meet them. However, don’t get nervous or panic, as keeping safe in chat rooms is easy – just follow the tips above.

[iancognito]

This seems to be an appropriate place to add some info about keeping your financial and personal details safe on the internet. I'm sure you will have heard most of this before but it does no harm to have a reminder.

PINS and passwords

Never give your PIN to anyone or carry it about with you in writing. When you receive your PIN, memorise it and destroy the notification securely. As soon as possible, change it to something memorable, but not your phone number, date of birth, account no or sort code.

When using a cash machine, check the machine carefully before use, if a cloning device has been added, it will probably include a camera to record you entering your pin, guard your PIN with your free hand. You should also do this when paying with your card in a store.

Your bank will never ask for your full password, only select letters or numbers, if you are asked for your password in full on the phone, end the call immediately and phone the bank and inform them.

E-Commerce

If you are making purchases on the internet, there are a number of ways you can check the personal/payment details are secure.

If you receive a link be e-mail, ignore it and type in the web address (url) directly into your browser, then search for the item you want.

When you get to the page where you enter personal details, make sure the site is secure, you can do this by looking for a little padlock in the bottom right hand corner or in the url, if you click on this padlock you can view the security certificate. Ignore padlocks anywhere else on the page, the padlock at the bottom is part of the web browser and cannot be forged, spoof sites will put a jpeg of a password at the end of fields to make you think you are on a secure site.

Another indication that the site is secure is the web address look for https: at the beginning of the address. If the web address includes numbers, such as:

http://210.134. 161.35/Barclays.com
http:// 3532038435/Barlclays.com
http://0322.0206. 0241.0043/Barclays.com
http://0xD2.0x86 .0xA1.0x23/Barclays.com
http://0xD286A1 23/Barclays.com
http://0322.0x86. 161.0043/)Barclays.com

close it immediately, this is a sure indication that it is a spoof site.

Phishing Attacks

A phishing attack is where you receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your security details, they can appear to come from a financial institution or a site you use for shopping or internet payments such as e-bay or paypal. Never respond to these e-mails, forward them to the institution and ask if they are genuine. A bank or genuine company will not ask you to confirm security details by e-mail.

Offers and Deals

If you see something on the internet that seems too good to be true - it probably is, be very careful what you are signing up for, you could be entering into a contract, you may not have to meet the terms but you can get an awful lot of hassle from scammers once they have your details, with threats from DCA's and court action being ever more common.

and of course the usual tips in dealing with financial institutions

• Always log out when you have finished with a secure site
• Never log into internet banking or secure sites on a shared or public computer
• Do not give away personal details on the phone, if someone calls claiming to be from a financial institution, take a name and phone them back.
• Check statements carefully and if you don't receive a monthly statement or new card, report it immediately.
• Destroy statements, old cards etc. securely, invest in a shredder if possible.
• Check your credit report annually.

Stay safe!!

[Paradox]

Internet Security - You and your privacy

The internet is a wonderful place, a place that, for most of us has become second nature.

There are a few things you need to bear in mind when you're on said internet:

1. Nothing you say or do on the internet is private
2. All information you send over the internet IS logged somewhere
3. If you want private / personal comments / information to stay private, then don't send it over the internet. Send it via a letter. If you do send private / personal data over the internet, use an email encryption programme to prevent others from reading.
4. Your IP adress is like a postcode, one IP address is allocated to a specific computer at any one time. From this you CAN be traced, I know how to do it, and so do thousands of others. It's not illegal in any way shape or form, so don't think you're any more protected behind a computer than you are in a bar.
5. Email addresses are also traceable via your IP address.
6. There are ways of masking your IP address so you cannot be traced. The software is available free on the internet.
7. Hackers - Hackers are the best computer users on the planet (well some of them are, others are just idiots) If your computer has a weakness in it, like an open port, a hacker can use this to exploit your system.
8. Viruses, malware and spyware. All three can potentially destroy your computer, so you need to ensure that you never open documents that you don't recognise, never click on links you are unsure of and don't download things where you're not aware of the source.
   
   
   
   Hackers can attach viruses to almost anything, including photos, music files and PDF files. It's not that difficult to do.

• IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SHARE SOMETHING, DON'T SAY IT ON THE INTERNET!!!
  
  
• IF YOU DON'T TRUST THE SOURCE OF A FILE, DON'T DOWNLOAD OR OPEN IT.

[Amethyst]

Re: Looking after your safety - making friends and meeting people

Bullying and Harassment



What is bullying?

Are you or someone you know...

• being called names?
• being pushed, hassled or threatened?
• being beaten up, spat at or kicked?
• having your things taken or damaged?
• being made fun of or called names by anyone?

If the answer is Yes, that is bullying. This includes any name-calling or threats received via text message, emails or social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace.


Bullying often is a criminal offence. Report it.
What is harassment?

Harassment is any unwelcome comments (written or spoken) or conduct which:

• violates an individual's dignity; and/or
  
• creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.
  
  

Harassment can take many forms including violence, threats, abuse, and damage to property. It can involve verbal abuse and name calling, offensive graffiti or post and can be received via text message, emails or social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace.
It may cause physical injury, mental stress, anxiety, or insecurity. It can also occur for a variety of reasons, including race, religious belief, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Harassment is a criminal offence. If you are being harassed, report it.
What can I do about it?

• Discussing your problems will make a difference and help you to think through how to sort them out.
• Let someone know what is happening. This may include friends, parents, a carer, a teacher, an organisation or the police.
• Fill out a self-reporting form, using the form contained on this website.
• Report what is happening online, using the facility on the 'Reporting online' page.

Tell someone if you are being bullied or harassed, or know someone who is, and if it is because of disability, gender identity, race, religion or sexual orientation.
Don't be afraid to tell someone and don't suffer in silence: if you cannot get anyone to listen to you, contact a support organisation who can offer you advice and support. A list is included on the 'Organisations that can help' page.
Not everyone will experience bullying or harassment at home, at work, in education or in their social time. If it does happen, it is important you tell someone. If you do not think you can tell anyone you know, you can tell someone by using a self-reporting form or by reporting online. Every report is taken seriously and could help to stop you, and others, suffering from bullying and harassment.
Please tell someone if you are being bullied or harassed.

How will the Police treat a bullying or harassment incident?

Don't be afraid to report bullying or harassment to the police. You will be taken seriously. The police deal with this regularly and can offer you help and support.
If the bullying or harassment is targeted at you because of your disability, gender identity, race, religion or sexual orientation, this type of incident is a 'hate incident' or 'hate crime'.
What you tell the police will be dealt with sensitively and professionally.
If you do not want to report it to the police, contact a support agency. Details can be found on this website on the 'Organisations that can help' page.