Alberta RCMP shares online safety tips for November
This November, the Alberta RCMP is sharing online safety tips. Though the internet and social media have become commonplace, it’s important to remember that online activities can have real life consequences.
To help stay safe online, keep the following in mind:
Post wisely: Keep personal details to a minimum and enable privacy settings on social media sites to limit who has access to your information.
Turn off location services: Only share your location with those you know and trust.
Do the right thing: Online cyberbullying, harassment, or threats can have very real and even criminal consequences.
Friend requests: Only accept friend request from people you know. Not everyone is who
they appear to be online.
Images: Only share images you’re comfortable with being public and remaining public. Once something has been shared, it could go anywhere and live online even after deleting.
Scams: Be cautious of suspicious links, emails, and attachments, and avoid giving information to untrustworthy websites.
Parents of youth should also keep the following in mind:
Create an open dialogue: Let your children know they can come to you to discuss their online life. Make them aware of the risks of being online, including cyberbullying, sextortion, and inappropriate content.
Rules: Establish clear boundaries for screen time and online activity. It can be helpful to keep computers and other devices in shared spaces to allow for supervision.
Age restrictions: Use parental control software to ensure your child or teen is accessing appropriate content.
If you believe you may be a victim of fraud, or are currently being targeted by fraud, please report it to your local law enforcement and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501. Instances of compromised personal and/or financial information should be reported to your bank and credit card company. To learn more about the various types of frauds and scams, please visit the CAFC’s scam webpage.