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The most serious risk you can face involves the possibility of someone using information posted about you — or information about where you go online — to hurt you. The number of teens who are molested, abducted, or leave home as a result of contacts made on the Internet are relatively low, but when it happens the results can be tragic.
Online enticement of children for sexual acts is a serious offense. If you are approached in this way, immediately report it to the CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
Be especially wary of any “get rich quick” schemes. These can promise to help earn you lots of money in your spare time, offer to help you lose weight quickly, or promise to enhance your appearance. If something sounds “too good to be true,” it probably is. Participating puts you at risk of giving up your privacy and your family’s financial security.
- Anyone you don't know who asks you for personal information, photos or videos.
- Unsolicited obscene material from people or companies you don't know.
- Misleading URLs on the Internet that point you to sites containing harmful materials rather than what you were looking for.
- Anyone who wants to send you photos or videos containing obscene content of individuals 18 and younger. (The possession, manufacturing, or distributing of child pornography is illegal.)
- Online enticement for offline sexual activities. (No one should be making sexual invitations to you online – and it’s an especially serious crime for adults to do it.)
If any of the above happens to you or a friend, tell an adult you trust and report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline.
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