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Hi Short Breakers!

I received a couple of responses to my experience with the 14 year old scammer on AOL. If I made it sound like most teens' minds are scarey, my apology. Like most things, the few make things bad for the majority. Here is one of the responses I got:

  Pam!
  Hey, I am just replying to your story about the little scammer on AOL ...
and I just wanted to say that he was either confused when explainging it to
you, or you didn't quite get what he was saying (Which I would doubt since
you are so smart  and funny =D)  When trading the programs, it is not
illegal, and your acct. cannot be canceled ... he was just taking a
precaution.  I do not believe that he actually feels *no* remorse - - that
is just what he tells you.  Hackers are not often what they appear to be,
and I wouldn't guess that everything he told you was the truth.  And BTW, I
am 12 years old ... and why did ya' have to go and say that the minds of
kids these days are scary?  (or something along those lines) - - j/k ...  

       L8r,~Max 

Top tips for Online Safety 

     From the editors of HomePC Magazine

        1.Don't talk to strangers: 
          The net is no different than your neighborhood: You don't
          necessarily talk to everyone that walks up to you and says, "Hi."
        2.Never meet someone you met online in a private location.
        3.Don't let your children enter private chat or discussion areas.
        4.Be discreet:
          Don't offer up any personal information such as full name,
          home address or phone number.
        5.Be as polite online as you would in person:
          Anonymity is no excuse for rudeness. And rude or unwanted
          comments can often lead to someone revealing more than they
          want about themselves online, and can be an invitation for trouble
        6.If you're on a service or at a site that's password protected,
          never give your password to anyone. A stranger, or even a casual
          acquaintance has no need to know your password. Those who run the
          service already know it, so they should never ask.
        7.Don't post photos of your property, your family or where you live
          or work. Those images could contain hints as to where you live or
          work, and may be an invitation for unwanted guests.
        8.If you plan on making online purchases be sure to: 
          Clear your screen after you've entered your order and credit
          card info. 
          Clear your cache, so that no one sitting down at your computer
          can launch your browser and get your credit card info; or, use a
          password-protected screensaver.
        9.Your gender should not be important to anyone else online, unless
          you are specifically visiting an online dating service. If you
          are: Make sure the dating service sites have references. Keep your
          online conversations light. Dissuade potential suitors from
          wanting you to enter private chat or discussion areas. If you do
          enter a private area, still adhere to our rules about divulging
          personal information.
       10.If someone makes lewd, unwanted, or antagonistic advances toward
          you or any member of your family, report their user name or e-mail
          address to whomever is hosting the service (Webmasters, online
          producers, etc. )
       11.Use some Internet control tool such as SurfNanny or SurfWatch to
          keep your children away from sites intended for mature or adult
          audiences.
       12.Never let your children surf unsupervised.
       13.And don't let your children enter or read the contents of
          Newsgroups alone, if at all.

Thanks to HomePC!
Pam!

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