Safety Tips for Adults Online

Adults as well as children need to be aware of safety issues on the internet.  It is important to know the risks involved in every thing from job searches, online transactions to meeting people online, to keeping y our computer safe.

Job Search Tips

• Be careful about posting resumes on online job posting boards.  Limit the amount of information you disclose.  Anyone with an account, whether it be a legitimate business or a scammer, can access your resume.  Don't allow yourself to become a victim of identity theft.
   
• Watch out for fake job postings that are used to pry personal information out of unwary job seekers.  If the ad lists a telephone number, call them.  Use other means, such as checking your local Better Business Bureau, for example, to find out whether the business is legitimate or not.
   
• Determine whether you really need to post a resume on a third-party online job board.  Many companies now have their own internal job boards that allow you to submit your resume directly to them.
   
• Never provide any information other than strictly work-related until after hire.  In Canada, for example, it is illegal to conduct a background check on a person until a personal interview has been conducted and the potential employee has signed, in person that they give their potential employer permission to perform such a check.  If someone asks you for information so they can perform a background check before the above conditions have been met, walk away from them.  This information can be used against you in a case of identity theft.
   
• Remember, if an ad sounds too good to be true - it probably is a lie.

Online Transactions

• Know who you're dealing with.  Make sure the business you are dealing with has a good reputation.  If you don't feel comfortable with the transaction, cancel it before you give out your personal information.
   
• Keep records of all your correspondence with buyers and sellers online.  Things like email correspondence, shipping documents and payment information could come in handy should something go wrong.

Other Online Interactions

• Be wary of people asking you to sign online petitions.  Most of them depend on an emotional appeal to entice people to sign their names, addresses and other personal information onto these online lists.  But in many places around the world, online petitions are not valid and government agencies will not even look at them.  They are simply a way for spammers and other criminals to capture personal information.

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