NORFOLK—Many students are now home for the summer and that might mean spending more time online. Unfortunately, that also provides more opportunities for criminals to reach out to unsuspecting young victims. An especially troubling trend the FBI is seeing involves a crime called ‘sextortion,’ where bad actors coerce minors into sending inappropriate content—then threatens to send that content to their friends and family if they don’t give them something else of value.

To help keep kids safer online this summer, FBI Norfolk is sharing these Internet safety tips with parents:

• Know the devices your child has access to and familiarize yourself with the apps, sites, and games they use
• Use parental controls on your child’s device
• Teach your children to only communicate with people they know and trust in real life
• Talk to your children about the dangers of sharing personal information online, such as their school, home address, or even their class schedule
• Warn them about the consequences of posting or sharing inappropriate content, as well as hoax threats
• Teach basic cyber hygiene, such as strong passwords and appropriate privacy settings
• Remind them to talk to a trusted adult if something seems suspicious

“Become aware of what your kids are doing online and have a conversation with them about what’s on there, what apps are out there that you may not know about and demystify it,” said Brian Dugan, special agent in charge of FBI Norfolk. “Show interest. You want to make sure your child isn’t fearful of talking to you, even if it’s a hard subject to broach.”

To help younger children better understand online safety, the FBI also offers a Safe Online Surfing program, which is available here. Students who participate can play games and take quizzes to test their Internet safety knowledge.

If you or your child ever becomes the victim of an online crime, file a report at IC3.gov, or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Editor’s Note:

SOTS available on Internet safety: https://we.tl/t-dfFYRHkMjA

Speaker: Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Norfolk