Tag: Snapchat

Steven Toporoff, who is one of The Federal Trade Commission’s attorneys, stated in a New York Times article that in 2012 more than 22,000 identity theft complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerned minors. Toporoff also added that child identity theft is a persistent problem. However, it is difficult to assess the magnitude of this problem because parents are usually unaware that anything is wrong until their child becomes a young adult.

A report conducted by Hart Research Associates shows that 51 percent of the teens surveyed are extremely concerned about someone stealing their identity using information they have posted online. Parents can learn how to protect their children from identity theft and what to do if their child’s identity is stolen at the FTC’s website.

Create Rules for Internet Use

1. Your family’s attitude about Internet safety must be clear and concise. It should never waiver.
2. Inform your teen which sites she can visit and which she cannot. She also needs to know what apps and social media sites are OK to use.
3. Be sure to set privacy settings on her social media sites to monitor whom she is communicating with in her digital world.
4. Regulate the amount of time she spends online by setting log off times.
5. Protect her identity by locking her credit report.
6. Use monitoring software like Spytech SpyAgent ($70), AVG Family Safety ($50/year) or Spectorsoft Spector Pro ($100) to deter negative behavior.
7. Remind her to think before she posts because once she posts it, she cannot take it back.
8. Have her set her social media privacy settings to “friends only.”
9. Do not use location-based services online.
10. Avoid providing optional information.

Technology is continually changing so you must be able to recognize the current trends and possible dangers. Identity theft prevention is possible but you need to know the warning signs for other online and mobile dangers, such as cyber-bullying, sexting and sexual solicitation. Your teen might be at risk if she:

• obsesses over the Internet
• gets angry when she is unable to get online
• is secretive about her online activities
• receives phone calls or gifts from strangers
• engages in unhealthy relationships
• withdraws from friends and loved ones
• injures herself
• seems depressed
• starts abusing substances
• shows signs of an eating disorder (binging and purging)

3 Extremely Popular but Dangerous Apps

1. Vine by Twitter: Popular with teens, this video sharing app allows users to make and share looping videos. The problem is that once your teen obtains this app she will be able to access videos that may contain sexually explicit content. Viewing videos is only a portion of the problem as your teen may decide to create and then share mature content of her own. Because Vine allows for finding users nearby, it is essentially a predator’s playground.

2. Tinder: This is a dating app that functions like a game. This app is about hooking up, and the age restriction is a mere 12 years old. Once the app is installed, it invites your teen to post a photo of herself. The app requests access to her location. Once completed, she can browse the profiles of people in her area to see if she likes anyone. If she does, she taps the green heart. If he likes her back, she will receive a notification and a chat feature opens up so they can communicate with one another.

This app has several red flags:

• It accesses your teen’s location to help her find someone to meet up with in real life.
• Anyone can like her, which can lead to temptation.
• This app is the perfect tool for pedophiles and predators to find their victims.

3. Snapchat: This messaging service allows users to send photos with text to other Snapchat members. These photos and messages vanish within 10 seconds of receipt. However, if the recipient has downloaded Snap Hack, he can save any photo he receives through Snapchat to his camera roll. With Snap Hack, he can view and edit the photo any way he wishes.

I’ve talked about some apps people can use if they want to communicate with others from around the world without spending a lot of money.

Do you remember when you had to remortgage your home to make an international phone call because they were far too expensive? Things have changed and a big reason for the turnaround is some great apps that are being built at the moment. Being able to communicate with people abroad is obviously very important to some people, so let’s look at the apps they should be using.

WhatsApp Messenger (https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997)

WhatsApp is slowly becoming the biggest player in the instant messenger crowd and the reason people are moving over to it is because all their friends have it. Why would you still send messages through your normal phone network when you can send them through the app along with images, videos, and voice notes? You can even chat with multiple friends at the same time inside group chat. Even though you can’t make proper calls you can still get everything else for free.

Viber (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/viber/id382617920)

Viber is on a mission to let everyone in the world connect without having to pay a dime. You can use Viber to communicate with someone in almost any way possible with carrier pigeon messages being one of the exceptions. When you first join up you’ll be given an id number and this will be your phone number. The app will also dig into your contact list to find out of any of your friends use Viber too. You can invite anyone to join if you want to talk to them for free from anywhere.

Rebtel (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rebtel-cheap-free-international/id310755560?mt=8)

It feels like all these small startup companies are trying to give us as much benefits as possible so they’ll be the next company that stands out from the crowd, but I don’t think you’ll be complaining any time soon. Rebtel has HD sound quality which I know you’re going to love because it’s a lot clearer than what you’d get from a lot of other apps. There is also a push notification feature that will let you know when someone has tried to call or message you just in case you have the app switched off.

MilliTalk (https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/millitalk-free-calling-texts/id418049135?mt=8)

You’ve probably not heard much about Millitalk yet, but when you download their app you’ll still be provided with a ton of value. A few things about there features are slightly different from the other companies including their powerful SMS platform. You will also be able to turn your iPad into a phone which will come in handy when you’re on a video call with someone. The key feature is obviously the fact their international calls are very cheap and you’ll save a lot of money using them.

Snapchat (https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/snapchat/id447188370)

There is a lot of buzz around this startup too and it’s about to do big things in the social media world, but it’s also a very good way to communicate with people. The biggest benefit you’ll get when using Snapchat is the ability to save time. Instead of talking with someone on the phone for ages you can just record a short video and send it to them. The person will get your message when they’re ready and you will be able to work on other things.

Author Bio

Nancy Baker, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger who is currently writing for, Total Communication Services Inc, reputable providers of business telephone systems and solutions. She enjoys participating in art and graffiti competitions. You can also follow her on Twitter @Nancy Baker.