Online Grooming

Grooming is the sexual harassment of an adult person to a girl, a boy or a teenager through the internet. People who perform grooming are called groomers or stalkers.

Here an example of what grooming is. Check the following video.

How does the stalker act?

1. The stalker usually creates a false profile on social networks, applications, multiplayer video games or other social media.
2. Acts as a young person in order to build confidence and have a friendly relationship with children or adolescents.
3. The stalker then asks the victim for photos or videos of sexual content.
4. When he succeeds, he blackmails and threatens the child or adolescent with making this material public if he does not send new photos or videos or if he does not agree to a personal meeting. The position of power in which the stalker finds himself is reinforced by his adulthood and by the shame the child or adolescent feels upon discovering that he has been exposed to an older person who can make private material public.
5. If the stalker has built a trusting relationship, children or adolescents may agree to a face-to-face encounter.
6. On other occasions, the stalker obtains sexual photos or videos of the victim without prior contact, by stealing passwords, hacking devices or accounts. Subsequently, the blackmail period begins.

How to prevent grooming?

• Do not forbid: Children or teenagers to have virtual friends. Give them tools to recognize their friends, but also to be safe.

• Explain the risks: Beyond the trust and friendship that has been generated, the unknown people with those who relate through the Internet are still unknown. Explain that it is very easy to open a profile with false data.

• Do not share images without permission: Do not provide compromising information or images electronically because it is difficult to delete material circulating on the Internet.

• Do not make video conferences with strangers: It is necessary for children and adolescents to understand that their image is personal data that must be protected and cared for.

• Know the pages your children frequently visit: Know the privacy policies, rules and characteristics of each site.

• Set an example: Adults should use their social networks responsibly. Set privacy settings and avoid sharing photos of your children in their school uniforms or information that allows the neighborhood or address to be known publicly.

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Be careful with your kids and teenagers

 

Sextortion can start on any site, app, messaging platform, or game where people meet and communicate. In some cases, the first contact from the criminal will be a threat. The person may claim to already have a revealing picture or video of a child that will be shared if the victim does not send more pictures. More often, however, this crime starts when young people believe they are communicating with someone their own age who is interested in a relationship or with someone who is offering something of value. 

After the criminals have one or more videos or pictures, they threaten to publish that content, or they threaten violence, to get the victim to produce more images. The shame, fear, and confusion children feel when they are caught in this cycle often prevents them from asking for help or reporting the abuse. Caregivers and young people should understand how the crime occurs and openly discuss online safety.

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Characteristics of digital identity

 Digital identity has a series of characteristics that have been identified to better define its concept and understand its: 

• Social: It is created by browsing social networks based on the identity of another person without even verifying that that identity is real.

• Subjective: depends on how other users perceive this person through the information they create themselves.

• Valuable: On different occasions companies investigate the information available from a person on social networks to make decisions regarding hiring. 

• Indirect: This does not allow us to know the person directly, but only the information about him published on the Internet.

• Mixed: because it is built through the contributions of the same person, but also those other people without their consent. 

• Reality: our digital information can produce positive and negative effects on our real lives. 

• Contextual: it is important to maintain separate identities depending on the context, as the disclosure of information in the wrong context can harm our digital identity. 

• Dynamic: It is always in constant change or modification.

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Identity theft

To prevent identity theft, follow these key measures:

      Use Strong Passwords:

• ·       Create complex, unique passwords for each online account.
• ·       Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
• ·       Avoid easily guessable information like birthdays or names.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):

• ·       Add an extra layer of security by enabling 2FA wherever possible.
• ·       This typically involves receiving a code on your mobile device in addition to entering your password.

Be Cautious Online:

• ·       Avoid sharing sensitive information on public Wi-Fi networks.
• ·       Be cautious with the information you share on social media, and review privacy settings.

Monitor Financial Statements:

• ·       Regularly check bank and credit card statements for any unauthorized transactions.
• ·       Report any suspicious activity to your financial institution immediately.

Secure Personal Documents:

• ·       Keep important documents (e.g., passport, Social Security card) in a secure location.
• ·       Shred documents containing sensitive information before discarding them.

Use Reputable Security Software:

• ·       Install and regularly update antivirus and anti-malware software on your devices.
• ·       Keep your operating system and software up-to-date to patch security vulnerabilities.

Beware of Phishing Attempts:

• ·       Be skeptical of unsolicited emails or messages asking for personal information.
• ·       Verify the legitimacy of requests by contacting the organization directly using trusted contact information.

Check Your Credit Reports:

• ·       Obtain and review your credit reports regularly from major credit bureaus.
• ·       Look for any unfamiliar accounts or suspicious activity.

Protect Your NATIONAL ID:

• ·    Avoid carrying your National ID unless necessary.
• ·       Be cautious about providing your ID and inquire about alternative identifiers when possible.

Educate Yourself:

• ·       Stay informed about common identity theft tactics and scams.
• ·       Educate yourself on the latest security practices and be proactive in implementing them.

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Hot on your trail

Does what you do online always stay online? You share online leaves a digital footprint or "trail." Depending on how they manage it, this trail can be big or small, and harmful or helpful.

Digital footprints are a trail of places that you have visited on the internet and the activities and games you have taken part in.

You leave a tiny digital marker or footprint behind each time you:

• Visit a website.
• Click on a link.
• Tap on a video.
• Play an online game.

How do you avoid leaving a digital trail?

• Share wisely on social media: Be aware of the things you are posting on your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you ask about health problems, be careful who your posts are visible to. Check your friends and followers routinely and keep your privacy settings to the maximum.

• Search in anonymous mode: When you are browsing the Internet, I suggest you always browse using anonymous or incognito mode. This ensures that your searches are not logged in the browser history. 

• Use encrypted messaging: If you are sharing sensitive information with your friends, be sure to share it through a secure messaging app. Applications like WhatsApp are encrypted from end to end - which means that these messages cannot be intercepted and decoded, even by governments.

• Send documents using links: Often, you may want to share documents or medical reports with someone, and once you send it as part of an email or chat, it could potentially be used against you. If you want to send a document to someone, first upload it to a secure cloud service like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. These services allow you to generate secure links to share with specific people. Once the other person has seen the file, you can disable the link.

• Use throwaway email addresses: Many websites need you to sign up with an email address to access the content. If you are on such a website, do not use your actual email for verification - use a disposable email address. Websites like TempMail allow you to generate email addresses and receive emails on it for a short period of time.

• Turn off location tracking: Google Maps often stores the places you have visited. Other apps (such as Snapchat and Instagram) can also use your background location. Be sure to take a look at the location permissions in your phone settings and disable it for all apps on a regular basis.

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Don’t take the bait (PHISHING)

Phishing is a cyberthreat in which scammers try to lure sensitive information or data from you by disguising themselves as a trustworthy source. They do this using a variety of communication methods, including email, text messages, phone calls, and more. No matter which method scammers use, they want your personal information so that they can use it to access your bank accounts or credit cards.

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Are you really who you claim to be?

As the world becomes globalized, is important to advance with it to remain actualized to it. then comes the meaning of digital identity. Without a way to verify identities, the digital world is vulnerable to becoming a place where cybernetic criminals reign, personal information and corporate confidential docs and information can be stolen, in the worse case people can be victim of phishing.

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