Avoid Money Scams

It is bad enough that reasonably intelligent adults fall victims to scams and frauds – after all many advertisers spend their entire lives figuring out how to get you to buy into their products.  In today’s world, however, children are also at risk.

Teach them early to guard their personal information.  In fact, guard it for them.  Most of them have no need of a social security number, and anyone asking a minor for that should be offering them a job.  The same goes for driver’s license information, personal phone numbers and home addresses.  Whenever possible, help them complete any forms that ask for this kind of information rather than having them do it alone.

Monitor their internet usage.  Place the home computer where you can see it, and make it a practice for them to ask you about filling out web forms.  If they have a myspace page or other social network account, subscribe to it so that you can see what is posted and what is not.  It may feel like spying but it could mean the difference between a safe happy adolescence and a nightmare.