Internet - Online quizzes and surveys

Quizzes and surveys you find online, including those on social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter and others are usually entertaining and may seem like a harmless pastime.

But remember quiz and survey companies are for-profit businesses. So consumer information about you and I are a definite commodity, and I think we should always assume that information that we enter when we are taking these quizzes and surveys, is going to be sold – and also assume you have no idea, and therefore no control, over who the information will be sold to..

Some websites allow users to create their own quizzes and surveys but in most cases they are still making money from the answers.

Just by reviewing the types of surveys or quizzes you take, a criminal may learn a great deal. Answering if you’re Hot or Not, a Fashion Disaster or Diva provides not only businesses in the fashion or teen magazine industries with information, it also provides information to a potential predator about topics that interest you. Some quizzes and your answers get displayed on your social networking sites, which is something to consider carefully if your site is publicly viewable as your answers may expose personal information to a criminal.

Quizzes and surveys on senior social networking sites are typically more financially or medically invasive. For example, the information from a medical quiz may be passed directly to pharmaceutical companies, online drugstores, or insurance companies. After answering a quiz you may find you receive spam targeted to your medical conditions or financial interests.
Make sure you understand the reputation, privacy policies, and terms of use of the site creating or hosting the quizzes.

Before taking any quiz or survey consider the answers to the following questions:

• Why did the company create this quiz?



• What will they do with the information?



• Who will see my answers?

Personally I never participate in any online quizzes and surveys – it’s hard enough to control my personal information and privacy online, and it’s also quite easy to be “tricked”, so I don’t feel it’s worth taking the chance… but it’s a personal choice..

Internet myths & safety Part 2 of 2

Many of us shop and bank online daily – but we all have to be careful and pay attention to how and when we share information online… a few basics to remember to keep yourself and your information safe when using this wonderful technology…

Never trust a link sent to you by someone you don’t know. By clicking the link you may be taken to a site that may look like your bank or credit card company, but isn’t. One thing a criminal can’t fake is the actual Web site address of a company or bank. Never click a link sent to you in an e-mail, search for the Web address using a search engine to find the real one. Use that to ask the company about the message you received, or call using the number listed on your statements. Mark the real site as a favorite in your browser so that one click brings you there safely every time.

Never (never never never) trust an e-mail that asks for your personal or account information (called a phishing scam). These usually seem convincing (the shabby ones have spelling errors, but the high quality scams look impeccable). No bank or reputable company is going to send you an e-mail asking you to correct your information, validate your identity, re-enter your password, and so on.

Beware of emails that send you "warnings against fraud" - The smarter scams often contain text warning you against fraud. They do this because many people believe that an e-mail that warns them to be careful must be legitimate. That is not always true. This also extends to sites that claim they have protections in place for your privacy and security. Anybody can make these claims, but only certain sites protect you.

Never respond – or even open an e-mail with a deal that is too good to be true unless it is from a company that you know well and expect to get these kinds of offers from them. Scammers want you to react without taking time to think things through, so their e-mails frequently sound urgent, such as:

• "if we don’t hear by tomorrow your account will be closed” (and you’ll notice that the date of “tomorrow” never is listed).


• "this offer won’t last, order now to ensure”

Never believe that someone you don’t know is going to give you money. Do not believe a person from another country who just needs you to “help transfer funds” and they need your bank account number to do so. Such scammers promise to give you a huge amount of money for helping them out. The result is an empty bank account.

If you never entered a lottery, you did not win the lottery. Such scams ask you to provide your information and bank account number so they can transfer your prize money. Don’t. The result is an empty bank account.

Don’t believe a really rich, famous person just wants to help you out… and that the celebrity also mysteriously needs your address, phone number, bank account information to do so. The result is an empty bank account.

Guard your information well. It is better to be rude than to be ripped off, so demand validation, verification, and authentication before giving your information to anyone. If you still feel uneasy, say no or check further.

Be careful when you are online and remember to trust your instincts…

Internet myths & safety Part 1 of 2

Many of us generally buy into a few myths about information exposure online, but for older adults this is especially true….

Myth 1: if you don’t use a computer you aren’t exposed online. In reality, just because YOU didn’t put information online doesn’t mean it isn’t there – virtually everyone has information online that has been placed there by several sources. Some examples:

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  Publicly available government records will show if you own a home, vote, have a criminal record (or speeding ticket), and much more.
  


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  Your home is listed online and its image is available through any Internet mapping service.
  


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  Unless you have been very careful to make sure your phone number isn’t in a phone book, it’s online. Even if you have been careful, type it into any browser window and see if it brings back your information – chances are that it will.
  


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  If you donate to a charity without doing so anonymously the charity’s Web site probably lists you among all their donors as a thank you.
  


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  If you volunteer with an organization, belong to a church group, sports group, action committee, and so on, chances are they list you on their Web site.
  


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  If a relative enjoys genealogy, your name and your relative’s names may be online.

Myth 2: if you haven’t fallen for an Internet scam you won’t be the victim of an Internet crime. The truth is that you may never know what the Internet connection is (or even if there was one) in most crimes. For example, information found online may give a criminal the incentive and means to rob your home or steal your identity.

Myth 3: is that the information you post online will only be looked at by people who you know. Actually everything on the Internet is being copied and referenced – constantly. Even if you take your information off the Internet, a copy of it may still be there.

Always reduce exposure by removing personally identifiable information from anything you or family members post online

SHOP SAFELY ONLINE

Top Ten Cyber Monday Tips for Staying Safe When Shopping Online
From Better Business Bureau

Before you begin your cyber Monday holiday shopping spree – take a few moments to check out the Better Business Bureau’s tip to be safe – Shopping on line is the usually the only way that I shop, but you have to be proactive and be careful…

Hopefully you’ll find the tips on the BBB website very helpful…

www.bbb.org/us/article/top-ten-cyber-monday-tips-for-staying-safe-when-shopping-online-23416