Activities make cyber-safety tips fun to learn -

Acronyms are a way for Internet users to "take a short" cut when typing, effectively reducing the amount of time taken to type commonly used terms & expressions. Check out this Chat Translator from WiredSafety

Anti-Phishing Phil is an interactive game that teaches users how to identify phishing URLs, where to look for cues in web browsers, and how to use search engines to find legitimate sites.  Play Anti-Phishing Phil

Childnet has produced a number of resources for parents including the world's first interactive safety resource for parents and a special audio seminar.

Scams and Hoaxes - http://www.familyinternet.info/Risks_Lures.htm

Just as scams and hoaxes existed before the Internet there are scams and hoaxes being perpetuated on the Internet. The Wikipedia site has a good definition of scams; it "is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain."1 The other gain may be curiosity at how well the perpetuator can manipulate others, or to see how far something will go. Or, it may be part of a denial of service attack directed at someone, or simply wasting bandwidth by getting people to pass on useless messages.

A hoax is an attempt to persuade someone or a group that what is really false is true.2 Hoaxes typically state somewhere in the message to send this very important warning to everyone you know. Credible sources do not use statements like that. They also use technical sounding language, which is often nonsense, and attempt to associate themselves with a legitimate organization.3

Chain letters generally have three parts to them, the hook, the threat, and the request. The hook is something to interest you and keep you reading like a dire warning about your computer's safety or a child who is in peril. The threat part is what is going to happen to your computer or the child. The request part is what you must do to prevent such an occurrence. The hoax or chain letter originator may be trying to see what he or she can get others to do, to extract revenge on someone by making it look as though that person is responsible for the hoax, or to perpetuate some kind of pyramid scheme where the recipients send in money.3

For a considerable list of scams go to The National Fraud Information Center site Fraud Tips.4 Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Resources:

1 The Wikipedia site definition of scams http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scams
2 The Wikipedia site definition hoaxes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoax
3 National Fraud Information Center – Internet Fraud Watch http://www.fraud.org/internet/intinfo.htm
4 National Fraud Information Center – Fraud Tips http://www.fraud.org/internet/inttip/inttip.htm

Hoax and Urban Legends sites:
Hoaxbusters – http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/
Snopes – http://www.snopes.com/
Symantic – http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
McAfee – http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp

Online Courses

CyberAngels: One component of this site is the online interactive tutorials and classes (on topics such as dangers to children, chat rooms, and protection measures). Classes are free to the public, and held in an easy to access private chat room.

WiredSafety: The Wired-Ed program offers over 50 classes to both members of WiredSafety and to the general public. These classes range from welcoming the new WiredSafety member into the organization to teaching folks about viruses and firewalls to helping your children surf safely. Parents can learn about risks their children face online and how to minimize those risks.

GetNetWise: This site has video tutorials that explain how to configure the browser or operating system for security, privacy, and cookies, as well as spam tutorials and tutorials on reporting spam.

WebWise: Learn how to use the Internet Step by Step.

Childnet: Childnet has produced a number of resources for parents including the world's first interactive safety resource for parents and a special audio seminar.

WebWiseKids: This parent course is divided into five lessons - Internet Safety, the World Wide Web, Email, Chat and Instant Messaging, and Personal Web Sites. The lessons are stand alone and can be taken in any order.

BeSafeOnline: While not a course, this site explains many of the technologies used today, including the World Wide Web, Personal Webpages, Email, Chat, Instant Messaging, Newsgroups, File-Sharing, Shopping Online, Filtering Software, Computer Viruses, and Bullying Online.

Internet101: Internet 101 was created for those who want to know just the basics. This guide will provide you with enough knowledge to have fun on the Internet, yet will not bore you with too many details.

BeWebAware: The Internet is fantastic, but there are risks. Your involvement is essential. This site provides the tools you need to help keep your kids safe online. This site includes information on various technologies and safety tips for your child by ages from 2 - 17 years of age.