Today, more parents are giving their children smartphone access at a young age. Because of this, many teens are quickly surpassing their parents’ tech savvy, often using social media, chat, and livestreaming apps that parents have no idea exist.

While it’s great for your teen to make connections and strengthen friendships through these apps, it can also be dangerous if your child isn’t fully aware of internet safety. During this time in your child’s life, they might need a bit of guidance to better protect themselves from potentially unsafe situations and individuals they may encounter on social media.

As a parent, you can do your research and better understand the online world your teen may be living in.

5 Popular Apps Among Today’s Teenagers

If your teen is glued to their smartphone, you may want to familiarize yourself with these popular apps that they and their peers could be using.

BIGO LIVE

This app allows users to livestream videos of themselves and watch others’, as well as buy “gifts” for and receives “gifts” from other users. Some interactions on this app can become predatory and sexual in nature.

Discord

Using this app, gamers can connect with others through text, voice and video, engaging in private conversations with little to no supervision. While there are settings meant to prevent teens under 18 from accessing the more “mature” forums, children can easily change their information in the app and override that restriction.

HOLLA

HOLLA is basically Tinder, but live and on-camera. Instead of users’ photos appearing to strangers on the other end, their live videos appear on each other’s screens. They then can decide if they “like” the other person enough (by tapping a heart) to continue chatting. The app also enables location tracking to help connect users with others nearby.

Lipsi

Lipsi is an anonymous feedback app that allows users to write comments about a particular person anonymously on said person’s profile. This is a potential breeding ground for bullying and inappropriate language.

Tellonym

Tellonym is another anonymous messaging app that can be connected to other social media accounts. Users can follow their contacts, but the messages they send and receive are anonymous. The developers of Tellonym say that comments are moderated and that users must be 17 or older, but as with similar apps, the nature of this platform could encourage bullying.

For the full list, check out this article on CNN.

Managing Your Child’s Smartphone

While not all of these apps necessarily pose a threat to your child’s safety, it’s important to remember that they may be communicating with or broadcasting themselves to strangers. Chat with your teen about setting healthy boundaries – especially if they start taking their relationship with some of these online friends off-platform.

Here are a few additional tips for managing your child’s smartphone use, whether they’re teenagers or a bit younger:

Limit electronic entertainment for kids under five years.

Children under five years shouldn’t spend more than one hour per day with electronic entertainment, which should mostly be high-quality and educational content.

Balance electronic use with other activities.

When you’re ready to give your child their own mobile device, ensure that they’re not neglecting other activities, such as sports, reading, arts and crafts, and more. Establishing a balance early on is crucial.

Have open discussions with your teens.

When your teens reach the age where they have constant access to their own smart devices, you’ll have to give up some control. However, while you should trust your child, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check in on them. Initiate open discussions so that your children understand the potential dangers of the internet, and let them know they can confide in you at any time.

The post Do You Know These Popular Apps Your Teen May Be Using? appeared first on BeenVerified Blog.

People around the world tuned in to see Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, call his old boss a “con man” and a “cheat” at his recent Congressional hearing.

Con artists are known to give indirect orders, contradict themselves, and manipulate those around them to get what they want — all things that Cohen claims the President did while they were working together.

It’s important to know how to spot a con artist and understand how one might pick a target. Consider these five common traits of fraudsters — you just might prevent yourself from becoming their next victim.

They’re Charming

Much like narcissists, con artists use their charm to their advantage. Charisma goes a long way in convincing people to do their bidding, whether they’re looking for short-term love, money, or favors. Be wary of those who lay it on thick. After all, the “con” in con artist is short for “confidence.”

They Make Outlandish Claims

Maybe they don’t go so far as to claiming they’re a prince from some faraway land, but they might claim to have attended a prestigious school, or that they’re the owner of a profitable company. An outlandish claim could even come across as somewhat believable, and it’s all to gain your trust. Once they have it, you’re more likely to do what they suggest, ask, or demand.

They Offer Something You Need

Most con artists are looking to siphon money from you, but not all. Some will prey on the vulnerable, or love-starved, just for the fun of it (not unlike a catfish in an online dating situation). Generally, though, a con artist might give you undivided attention and hope you get addicted to it, and then hit you with a request, such as wiring money to them to help them get home after they lost their wallet while visiting a foreign country, or some other scheme.

They Commonly Contradict Themselves

If you spend a lot of time around a con artist, you might notice that they say one thing, and then contradict what they’ve just said, sometimes within the same breath. This is a method designed to make you question yourself. Did you hear them right the first time? Maybe they really didn’t say it.

They Offer You Money, If …

A common con is to contact someone offering money, if they can provide bank account details to accept the wire transfer. This could be disguised as reward money, a long-lost relative leaving you money in a will, or some other crazy story. It’s never a good idea to give your personal details to a stranger or someone you’ve just met, as you’re setting yourself up for fraud or identity theft.

If you’re ever unsure of the person on the other end of the phone or email address, or you’re simply wary of someone who seems too good to be true, you may want to run a background check on them. At the very least, you can see if the person has been honest about who they are, and at worst, you might find out some of the problems they’ve had in the past, whether financial or criminal.

The post How to Spot a Con Artist appeared first on BeenVerified Blog.

It seems everyone is using social media today, and for good reason. It connects people across the world to their family and friends. It allows you to share art, thoughts and feelings with like-minded communities. It also serves as a great marketing tactic for many businesses.

Despite these positives, there may be some dangers lurking in your social networks. Scammers love to target individuals who frequently use social media, and if you’re not careful, you can go from “influencer” to “online scam victim” rather quickly.

On Facebook in particular, scammers may try to trick users with fake profiles and viral hoaxes. It’s important to understand what these scams look like — and the potential consequences — if you want to avoid falling for them.

Common Facebook Scams

There are several ways scammers use social media to find and fool unsuspecting victims. Two of the most common are friend request scams using fake profiles, and viral hoaxes that encourage victims to share a false message with their friends.

Some fake profile tactics involve creating profiles of attractive people or celebrities, or using the “girl/guy next door” approach to lure Facebook users into thinking they’re a genuine potential friend. Fraudsters may also try to pose as someone you know by lifting information and photos from one of your real friends’ profiles. Both of these approaches may ultimately lead to a catfishing scenario or an online romance scam.

Many Facebook users have also reported receiving hoax messages, similar to chain emails, from friends (or con profiles) that claim they’ve received a friend request from someone who is pretending to be you. They then instruct you to forward the message to your friends so that they are aware of what’s going on.

Here is an example of such a message, reported by The Washington Post:

“Hi….I actually got another friend request from you which I ignored so you may want to check your account. Hold your finger on the message until the forward button appears…then hit forward and all the people you want to forward too….I had to do the people individually. PLEASE DO NOT ACCEPT A NEW friendship FROM ME AT THIS TIME.”

If you see this, check the profile who sent it to you to see if they were a real account or are impersonating a contact. If they’re a fraud, report the profile. Either way, do not forward the message.

Once you hit the “accept” button on a fake friend request or hoax message, that’s when a would-be scammer will try to strike. This “friend” may try to convince you to provide some personal information and even send them money. If you agree, you could lose your hard-earned cash, or worse, become the victim of

How to Better Protect Yourself Against Friend Request Scams

When someone is posing as your friend, you are far more likely to believe what that person is telling you. If you’re suspicious of a message or request coming from a supposed “friend,” here are some simple things you can do to reduce your chances of falling for a scam.

1. Vet every friend request. Check your list of friends and see if this is someone you’re already friends with. If you already have that person on your list and their regular profile is active, it’s probably safe to say this new profile you see is fake.

2. Never send money. A government grant, you say? Just send $1,500 to receive $100,000? Anyone asking you to send money on Facebook or any other social media site is almost certainly a scammer. Keep that hard-earned money in your own possession. And if someone you know does ask for money via Facebook for any reason, talk to this person directly to confirm it’s really them making the request.

3. Change your privacy settings. This is a simple preventative method that stops the problem at the root. On Facebook, you can choose who you want to share your photos and profile information with (friends, friends of friends, anyone, etc.). You can also change your profile so that no one can share your posts on their pages.

4. Only accept requests from friends of friends. While this might go without saying, you shouldn’t accept any friend requests from people you don’t know. Setting your account to only allow “friend of friend” requests can help weed out some scammers, but remember that some of your Facebook contacts might accept friend requests from random individuals. It’s always better to check someone out for yourself when deciding to accept a request.

It’s easy to fall for a friend request scam, but you don’t have to be the next victim. Always verify your friend requests and follow your intuition. If you’re unsure of any information someone is providing you about themselves, you can run a background check to investigate further. As always, remember that if anything sounds too good to be true, often it isn’t.

The post Avoid Facebook Friend Request Scams appeared first on BeenVerified Blog.

So you’re looking for a people search tool that can give you the details on that mysterious new dating partner, a long-lost friend or relative, or a potential buyer for the item you listed on Craigslist.

There are a lot of services you can choose from nowadays, but BeenVerified is a great choice if you’re looking to aggregate a comprehensive selection of publicly available data on a person.

Here are five great reasons to choose BeenVerified for your background check needs.

1. You’ll find data from up-to-date resources.

BeenVerified strives to deliver the most accurate, up-to-date information in all its search results and reports. That’s why we obtain and regularly update the BeenVerified People Search results with records from several different public and private databases. When you look someone up using our platform, you are looking at the most current information we have available to us.

2. Your results will be aggregated into a convenient, organized report.

When you run a standard internet search on someone, you may have to enter several search terms in connection with that person to find the information you want. By searching for that individual through BeenVerified, you will be able to find all public records associated with that name, all in one convenient location.

3. Your account information will not be shared.

When you sign up for a BeenVerified account, your account information stays with us. We will never sell your information to a third-party, nor will we include any information you provide to us as part of our search results if someone looks for you. BeenVerified only aggregates data that can be pulled directly from publicly available databases.

4. Your searches are confidential.

The people you look up using BeenVerified will not be notified that you searched for them.

5. Our top-notch customer service team can help you resolve any issues.

Having trouble with your BeenVerified account? Or perhaps you’ve searched your own name and found duplicate or inaccurate information you want removed. Just reach out to our customer service team. You’ll be greeted with professional, courteous assistance, every time.

A Note About Permitted Uses

BeenVerified is an excellent tool for many people search and background check scenarios, but there are a few restrictions on how you may legally use our platform.

Some common examples of permitted uses include researching an online dating partner, tracking down current contact information for old friends and family members, checking out a Craigslist buyer, or gathering some information on your new next door neighbor. However, you may not use BeenVerified for purposes that violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including but not limited to:

• Employment or hiring screening
• Evaluating potential property tenants
• Researching an individual customer for business transaction purposes
• Conducting credit eligibility research

You are also prohibited from using our platform to contact someone against their wishes or otherwise stalk someone.

For more details on how you can and cannot use BeenVerified, check out our “do’s and don’ts” page.

The post 5 Reasons to Use BeenVerified appeared first on BeenVerified Blog.

At-home DNA testing kits are all the rage, but these companies — and the DNA they collect — can do more than simply tell us where our ancestors originated. They’re also helping solve crimes.

FamilyTreeDNA is one such company that has cooperated with the FBI to help catch violent criminals. According to a statement from the company, FamilyTreeDNA’s laboratory accepts evidence samples from the FBI to generate “data profiles” of potential suspects and victims. The Bureau is then allowed to search FamilyTreeDNA’s genetic databases for possible matches to these evidence samples. However, the FBI would need to produce a legal order to obtain identifying information about any individual whose DNA matched the database.

The Role of DNA Testing Companies in Legal Investigations

One argument for allowing DNA testing companies to cooperate with law enforcement is that they can help solve cold cases and stop criminals on violent paths.

Take the Golden State Killer, for example. Joseph James DeAngelo was finally brought to justice in 2018 after allegedly committing at least 12 murders and dozens of rapes in the 1970s and 1980s. Investigators finally pinned the California killer after using DNA from a crime scene cross-referenced with information on an online DNA database.

Although public opinion was largely positive in the arrest of the Golden State Killer, there’s still some concern regarding the accessibility of one’s DNA information. Police typically collect DNA from a crime scene and then run it against their own database of DNA from known convicted criminals. If there isn’t a match, they’ll sometimes approach privately-owned DNA companies, but they don’t get far. Both 23andMe and Ancestry.com, two of the biggest names in online DNA labs, have refused to deliver information upon request.

In most cases, it’s a legal labyrinth for police to obtain access to your DNA from these companies, if police decide to press the issue (and they usually don’t for that very reason). It’s important to note that law enforcement can seldom force you to hand over your own DNA, either–whether you’re innocent or guilty, you have the right to refuse a DNA test if you’re ever arrested.

Should Your DNA Be Publicly Accessible?

If you decide to send your saliva to an online DNA testing company, be sure you read the privacy policy to understand what such companies may do with your genetic profile when you get your results back.

Adjust your privacy settings on your profile if you wish to remain anonymous to other site members, and to keep your DNA out of third-party hands. Also be sure to check for updates to privacy policies, as they can change at any time.

The post How DNA Testing Companies Are Helping Solve Crimes appeared first on BeenVerified Blog.

Is someone using your name to gain access to credit? Perhaps there’s a car in your name that you didn’t buy, or a utility account at a property you don’t own. Identity theft can spell financial disaster for many people, and even worse, if someone commits a crime in your name, you could suffer more damaging consequences.

So, how does someone steal your identity? It usually starts with a data breach.

Data breaches have become more common in the digital world because data is easier to access, especially if solid encryption and other reasaonable safeguards aren’t used. In 2018, there were multiple hacks into consumer records, such as at Macy’s, Exactis, and Ticketfly. Millions of people’s names, emails, phone numbers, home addresses, and more were exposed. In 2019, there has already been several more large-scale breaches, including Dunkin’ Donuts, Advent Health, and Fortnite.

If your information was stolen, it could be sold on the dark web, which means someone could be using your identity right now. Many people find out they’re victims of identity theft when they run a background check on themselves. The information contained in those reports may be able to reveal financial records or even addresses with your name that you don’t recognize.

If you find evidence that you may be the victim of identity theft, you can take the following steps to report fraudulent activity and begin the process of recovering your finances and credit score.

Change All Passwords

The first thing you should do is change all your current passwords for any online accounts you have. Do not use passwords you’ve used in the past, and make sure the new ones are strong: random numbers, letters, and symbols, lower- and uppercase letters, long strings of characters, etc.

Check Your Reports

Run a background check report on yourself and check your credit reports. If any fraudulent accounts were created by someone else using your identity, you’re likely to find them here.

Contact Your Bank

If you think that your bank account information has been compromised, you should contact your bank to notify them. You may even need to shut down your existing account and open a new one.

Request a Credit Freeze

Credit reporting agencies (CRAs) can put a freeze or hold on all new credit requests. Doing so can stop an identity thief in their tracks if they try to apply for credit in your name.

Report Your Identity Theft

Contact the Federal Trade Commission to report any verifiable instances of identity theft. The FTC may not look into your case personally, but it has it happening again.

The post Steps to Take If You Suspect You’re a Victim of Identity Theft appeared first on BeenVerified Blog.