Teens need to know their limits while cruising on social networking sites

With social network sites creating a parallel cyber world population and proclaiming that the fourth largest populated space on the planet exists in cyberspace, social
networking sites — SNS — have become the easiest way for people to get instantly connected. The teenage population that logs onto SNS sites is gigantic.

At the tender ages of 11-12 they hop onto Facebook and Orkut and get their daily dose of vitamins from posting messages. There are some dos and don'ts that we as parents and guardians must know and explain to them in order to keep them secure and help them cruise the SNS sites safely.

SNS sites offer a world of networking, fun-filled activity and instant connectivity but there is a veiled threat of danger lurking which these young kids must be made aware of. Cyber crime is becoming more and more organized and there may be thieves out their befriending and following your every tweet and post and waiting for a chance to fleece you.

Young girls can be befriended and asked to meet someone at lonely spots. Sometimes this can put them in a danger of being robbed or been sexually harassed. These cyber robbers are able to enter your system and know your address, where you live and your daily timetable by following your posts and tweets. This information can provide an opportunity for them to attack if you are alone at home.

Swindling money online is a big racket. There is an organized racket being run from countries like Russia and Ukraine. Their modus operandi is as follows. First they befriend you. Then, they may send a downloadable link like a fun game or a free trail for some useful product. When you download this link, you are actually downloading spyware.

This software will permit them to have complete access to your computer system. Some ladies pose as friends and often ask for financial help. If you swipe your card at their request, this card number is sold and then large amounts of purchases are made from your card. People across all ages are falling prey to these scams -- the younger generation, middle age people as well as the older generation, which is getting increasingly comfortable with the use of computers and tends to be over trusting.

Cyber crimes are mostly on the rise against children (usually involving child pornography or child harassment) and data theft of intellectual property by hacking into computer systems. The Internet Crime Report reveals that during the last year, nearly three lakh complaints were filed. This number shows a 33 percent increase over the previous year. Cyber crime in 2010 is likely to have increased even more. In several cities, cyber crime police station and cyber crime investigation cells have been set up; however their efficiency in solving cyber cases is still a question mark.

It is important to educate users not to pass on passwords and personal information like birth date to unknown people and to make internet payments through credit cards only at trusted sites like amazon, itunes and ebay. To know that paypal.com is a legitimate site but paypal.1234.com is fake. Using unsecured wi-fi sites in public areas like coffee shops and shopping malls can also cause your computer to be hacked. It is better to pay and use the wi-fi, at the airports or in public places, while travelling.

Antivirus pop-ups are also being used as a tool to make money. Money is being collected in the name of charity eg. for the fight against cancer, or for kids in Haiti or AIDS. It may be useful to donate to a known charity rather than to pay online on unsecured links. To illustrate, there were numerous fake online donation links circulating within days urging fans to donate to Michael Jackson's charities. Enchasing on people's sentiments, cyber thieves make a lot of money.

The internet, email and social sites may have redefined our existence but have caused complications by bringing danger into our homes, right onto our desktops. One easy reminder is to avoid online monetary transaction - except on established and registered sites, which is a simple way to start. If a friend on Facebook asks for financial help, it is time to block the friend !