Fraudsters are driven by money; they search for the simplest ways to hack into online accounts to empty bank accounts of funds, steal virtual goods from gaming platforms to resell them, or obtain legitimate online credentials, like usernames and passwords, to later resell to other scammers on the black market.
Phishing, account takeover, credential stuffing, social engineering, and the creation of fake accounts are some of the most popular fraudster assaults that potentially harm children. Because they may not completely appreciate the extent of risk online, younger children lack a thorough understanding of security and are oblivious to the need for it. Youngsters often use the same credentials across all of their devices, which provides fraudsters access to more of their online accounts. This has the knock-on consequence that children tend to create simple credentials that are simple for fraudsters to leverage.
Children at younger and younger ages may increasingly become the victims of online fraudsters. Children are interacting with gadgets for pleasure, education, or socialisation as a result of the epidemic. They frequently need their own accounts—created by their parents but accessible by them alone—in order to participate on these networks. Due to this trend, they frequently unintentionally come into contact with fraudsters. This pattern is also the cause of the rise in child fraud cases.
So how do we protect our children from these monsters?
- CREATE GROUND RULES ON THE USE OF INTERNET
Set some rules and make it a point to check on them once in a while. Simple rules could include:
- No matter what it says, don’t click on any pictures, videos, titles, or links. Never download anything from the internet unsupervised and from an unreliable source.
- Avoid letting third parties install anything on your devices, especially items downloaded from the internet.
- Never speak on the phone, via chat, or by email to strangers you meet online.
- Never consent to meeting someone you met online.
- Never send sensitive data like your name, address, phone number, or social media login.
- Don’t give details about family members, such as your parents’ names and places of employment.
- Never send images of yourself to strangers online
- CONTROL ONLINE PURCHASES ESPECIALLY IN UNFAMILIAR SITES
There are two approaches to limit your child’s use of a mobile device for shopping. You may either completely prohibit them from downloading apps or configure the device to require authentication for all purchases, including those made within apps.
However, online purchases are still possible. You should establish ground rules for internet shopping, including the prohibition on making any purchases without consent. Never share your financial information with your children or permit it to be saved on the account or use iot hidden menu. Set passwords for computers and other devices to prevent unauthorised users from accessing them if they are stolen or put out of sight.
Teach your children the dangers of using public Wi-Fi. When utilising a public Wi-Fi network that hackers may be trolling, neither you nor your children should ever enter any critical information. You must safeguard your personal Wi-Fi network as well.
Also, take the time to investigate a website before making a purchase if it is one you have never used before. In place of http, the site’s URL should start with https. Check the address bar for a padlock icon as well. Look for reputable website emblems on the website, such as the BBB rating of the business.
- CREATE STRONG PASSWORDS
For every single account you have, from email to online banking, always use a strong password, and never reuse it. Register for notifications so that you will be informed if anything suspicious happens. Additionally, avoid using obvious passwords like birthdays and anniversaries and sharing them with your kids.
Conclusion: It’s challenging for adults to recognise internet fraud, so expecting a young child to recognise it is asking a lot. In order to prevent attack types including account takeover, phishing scams, and social engineering, it’s crucial to start educating kids about them at a young age. We must work to educate our children so they can avoid terrible persons lurking online, just as we teach them to be cautious when speaking to strangers in real life. As parents, we can further increase security by requesting internet packages from our ISPs, which might provide additional levels of protection for our home internet. If you’re looking for internet bundles with additional protection for your home WiFi, you may want to checkout Compare Broadband – an independent broadband comparison site.