With the advent of the internet, the time we spend in the digital world has increased considerably. This has led to more people seeking friends and relationships online. Social networking sites have become increasingly popular as they help us stay connected with friends in almost every part of the world. The idea of making new friends and the comfort and convenience of interacting online makes networking sites seem very appealing, especially to youngsters. However, this could expose them to the risk of being exploited by online predators.
There are several chat apps where people with malicious intentions can easily open accounts, often without the need of any identity verification. Using fake profiles, predators can lure innocent teens and adults to share confidential information, which can thereafter be used to exploit them. Skilled hackers can easily hack into people’s chat accounts and extract confidential data, which can then be used for wrong purposes.
Honey Trapping is one of the common scams on the internet today.
Honey trapping is a scam/ tactic that uses romantic or intimate relationships to obtain sensitive information. A honey trap involves a fraudulent dating site and proposals from unknown people, who first identify their targets and befriend them to later lure them into spilling crucial information, which can compromise not only their safety but the nation’s security too. You could end up losing money or your system might get infected as a result of falling into this trap. Online dating sites are common hunting grounds for honeypot scammers.
Safety measures to be observed when chatting online:
- Do not Give Away Your Personal Information
That includes your address, phone number, or any sensitive information that could create problems for you later on. When you start chatting with someone you met online, stick to general topics and refrain from talking too much about yourself.
- When interacting with strangers, avoid revealing your real identity. Never use an online ID that consists of your real name.
- Do not share pics
Do not share your pics in chat rooms as they can be misused. Identity theft is a grave issue and can have dangerous repercussions.
- Do not trust anyone you do not know personally. Online predators are good at deceiving others, with fake personalities.
- Remember that personally meeting strangers you have interacted with on chat apps can be very risky. If at all you have decided to meet up, then make sure that you meet at a public place.
- Keep a check on your status messages:
Avoid using your Facebook status application to tell the world about your itinerary for the day. You never know who is stalking you in the virtual world.
- Keep changing your password often
Use strong passwords. Remember your password is like the key to your home, don’t share it with anyone, and change it often.
- Impersonation is rampant. Beware!
The anonymity provided by the virtual world and the fear of being stalked often prompts people to impersonate. A considerable number of Facebook profiles are fake and people often withhold correct information about themselves.
- Avoid having private chats with strangers
Do not leave public chat rooms and encourage private conversations unless you are very sure about the identity of the person you are chatting with. Chatting in public ensures someone or the other would alert you in case you are being harassed. Private chats can often be used by online bullies to harass you.
- Another aspect of chatting online is that you should pay attention to is what the other person is saying and be on the lookout for suspicious behaviour.
Remember, online chatting is like driving on an expressway. If you are attentive and follow the rules, you are safe and it would be a pleasurable experience. If you go overboard and ignore the warning signals, accidents are inevitable.
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