Using the Internet Safely For Seniors

➟ Report offensive, inappropriate, and illegal material

sent via e-mail to your ISP (Internet service

provider).If the content is illegal, you should also

report it to your local law enforcement agency.

➟ Be cautious about meeting online contacts in per-

son. You may know certain people only through

e-mail or contact on a Web site. Just remember that

everything someone tells you about himself and his

motivation for meeting you may be completely true —

or completely false. If you decide to meet someone,

don’t go alone, make sure others know where you’re

going, meet in a very busy, public place, and keep your

cell phone handy.

➟ Consider what you’re saying and sharing in e-mail

and how you’d feel if the information was shared

with someone other than the recipient.Anything

you say in e-mail can be forwarded to others or moni-

tored by employers or other family members.

Avoid typing sensitive information into public comput-

ers such as those found in libraries or Internet cafes.

Sensitive information includes your name, phone num-

bers, account numbers, passwords, and home or e-mail

addresses. These computers may be infected with spy-

ware that records your information and sends it to a

criminal. Never select the feature that automatically

logs you on to e-mail when you start the computer, and

don’t select a Remember My Password option when

using a public computer. If you do so by mistake, use

the Forget My Password option in the login screen for

that account to reverse the action.

Create an E-Mail Account

You can create an e-mail account through a variety of service providers.

These steps take you through creating a Windows Live Hotmail account,

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Part II: Using the Internet While Dodging the Risk