New Year, New Debt! The desperation for money will lead a person to do almost anything. Signing up for lotteries, sweepstakes, and loans without reading the fine print mostly results in the loss of more money. Most online scams offer money and prizes in return that the person gives acknowledgement to an advertisement. Other scams ask for personal information such as your email, address, credit/debit card information, social security, and/or phone number. Over the holidays, it seems more common to come across these online hoaxes. The con artists will pull every trick out of the book to persuade an innocent person out of their money. Luckily, there are ways to avoid this foolishness.

Photo Cred: [Scams] (N. D.) Retrieved: December 23, 2015 from https://www.lottosignals.com/magazine/knowledge/common-lottery-scams-and-how-to-fight-them-03-05-2015

To report the online scams, immediately file a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission. Also it is very important to block and/or delete the source. It is only okay to send personal information to well-known registered companies and official websites. If the company is foreign, it is an absolute obligation to research them and ask a trustworthy source of their experience with the company—this goes for websites, companies, products, and services of all types. To avoid identity theft, stalkers, burglars, and murderers, one must follow every precaution for all the websites on the internet. Things are not always what they seem.

Photo Cred: [Online Scams] (N.D.) Retrieved: December 24, 2015 from -item http://parenting.thecyberhoodwatch.com/cybercrime/was-never-an-issue-until-computers-started-becoming-a-household /

Parents must come together and teach their children how to use the internet. Not only are children getting lured in by scams, they are also getting lured in by predators. When it comes to social media, it is easy to figure out what a certain person is doing at a certain time. Children and teens must keep their pages private these days to avoid lurking pedophiles. Teens in their rebellious stages may not always understand the importance of safety. Everyday a teen becomes a victim to online hoaxes or scams. Therefore, it is a parent or guardian’s duty to educate the youth to decrease the chances of being a victim to online theft.

Sunday Owens. I am a junior at Fairfield High Preparatory School in Alabama. I enjoy reading and hope to be a best selling author in the future. IG @sunnydnumber3 Read more posts here zorintiger101 – Wattpad

Written By: Sunday Owens, Staff Writer, #mygirlsquad