From money-making scams and stolen identities to dangerous predators, the internet has become a pretty dangerous place — especially for those who are uneducated about it.
That’s why the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department was on hand recently at the Orion Township Library, sharing information with the public.
OCSD Detective Jerry DeRosia, from the Computer Crimes Unit, gave a presentation on internet safety, and Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard also had some advice.
‘Obviously this is a growing issue in our community,? Bouchard said, noting that his office has expanded to help meet those needs.
DeRosia spoke of some common scams, such as ‘phishing’and other forms of spam e-mail. He advised to avoid opening any e-mails unless you know the person sending it to you.
He also recommended using ‘Adaware,? a software that will stop programs such as Spyware from being inadvertently added to a computer.
Adaware and other such software can be found on downloads.com, a site DeRosia said he uses often.
He also talked about a relatively new scam, known as the Nigerian scam.
In this scam, someone will offer to send you a large check if you will send a small portion of the money back to them. The check they send to you will inevitably be fraudulent, and then you are out whatever money you sent.
DeRosia said there are many forms of this scam, and many residents of Oakland County have already fallen victim to them.
‘The prosecutor’s office sees one incident as a civil matter,? DeRosia said, noting they usually won’t do anything unless a criminal pattern develops.
No matter what the scam, if you feel you’ve been victimized, DeRosia said to ‘always call your local police first.?
DeRosia recommended learning all you can from www.consumer.gov/idtheft, about how to avoid having your identification stolen.
He also spoke of the important role parents must play in keeping their children safe while surfing the ‘net.
Detectives in his unit will often pose as young teenagers on the web to help get a sense of the current landscape.
‘We do active online chatting with pedophiles,? DeRosia said, noting they often get a response within five minutes from signing on.
He said his unit will go after anyone, and noted that using a computer to arrange a meeting with someone underage is a felony punishable by up to 20 years.
DeRosia recommended that parents use filtering software and utilize the parental controls or blocking software from their internet service provider.
‘They help, but they are not foolproof,? he said, stressing that educating kids about the dangers of the internet is most important.
Parents can take a number of steps to make things safer, but DeRosia said that just paying attention to their children can prevent many problems before they begin.
‘Parents have to do anything they can to keep their kids safe,? he added.
For more information about what you can do to make the internet a safer place, visit www.oakgov.com/sheriff.