Internet Issues
SooNews Wire -- SooNews.ca -- Friday, June 9, 2006, 1:27PM
Recently the Technological Crime Unit became aware of a number of incidents that have occurred across the Province and locally. The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service would like to make parents and care givers aware of the problem so that they can speak to their children about what is occurring.
There has been an increase in the number of reports of indecent acts involving instant messaging programs, with most of them being reported on MSN messenger. The acts involve an unknown person being able to change the account password and basically hijacking the msn messenger account. The suspect will then ask the victim to sometimes complete an inappropriate act via a web cam in exchange for the return of the control of the msn account.
Once the suspect has taken over the account he/she then has access to that persons contact list and is able to communicate with other children in an attempt to gain access to their accounts.
If this incident does occur contact the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service at 949-6300. Parents also need to contact MSN through the MSN support web page in order to regain access to the account.
In addition parents need to talk to their children about internet safety. One of the suggestions is to have your child’s computer in a common area as opposed to being in their bedroom. Also tell your children that if anyone says or does anything inappropriately or anything that makes them feel uncomfortable to tell someone immediately. Parents are also encouraged to review the chat logs to see who their children are talking to and what they are talking about. Parents should also check their child’s profile that they filled out when they created the account. There is often a significant amount of personal information in here that is available to anyone.
For further information on internet safety you can access the attached websites.
RCMP
OR
FBI
Remember to take the time to talk to your child and help keep them safe.
