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| Home > Fact
of the Week 2011 > Cyber
Preparedness |
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08-20-2011
Preparedness
Facts of the Week
by
Elizabeth Hall, Emergency
Services Specialist -
Kings County Office of Emergency Management |
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| Over
the past few years we have
heard so much about the cyber
risks in our daily lives;
everything from identity
theft, fraud and phishing,
cyber bullying and ethics,
not to mention cyber predators.
You would think that the
only ones who haven’t
quite grasped the seriousness
of it all would be our society’s
young children and teens;
apparently not so. |
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| Case
in point: On August 2, 35-year-old
Robyn
Gardner, an American woman
from Maryland, vanished while
in Aruba. Robyn decided to
take a five-day holiday in
Aruba with a 50-year-old man
she met on the internet. Having
only a virtual friendship,
never having met the guy, you
have to wonder…what was
she thinking. As of this writing,
the man has not been convicted
of a crime, but is being held
for questioning. |
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| Stories like this one and
the “Craigslist
Killer” are just a
two of the many highly publicized
internet-related crimes that
make you wonder how in the
world, with all the media’s
attention on such events,
could someone still let their
guard down to the point of
still trusting what’s
out there? I don’t
know about you, but I just
don’t get it. |
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| Unfortunately,
as a society, the more we are
consumed with the news of such
events, the more we become
desensitized to it all. We
may say, “Oh, well, she/he
should have been smarter than
that”, or “They
should have known better”.
Am I right? So what can you
and I do about it? Start small.
Start with your loved ones. |
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I
like to use these events
as a teaching
tool for my own children. Yes
they are grown adults, but,
don’t assume that because
your children are “adults” and
may be out of the house, that
you can’t still have
those “teachable moments” with
them. You may have to change
your presentation a bit, but
don’t stop those moments
with your family. Even though
they may say…”yeah,
yeah, yeah…I know mom”……doesn’t
mean they still can’t
learn a thing or two. And if
your children are younger,
keep talking to them about
it! You don’t have to
preach to them, just ask them…”Hey,
did you hear about the ………?”
Begin the conversation. Just
start off with the facts then
ask
them what they think about
it. Usually what happens next
is a great conversation between
you and your children where
you learn what they are actually
think and what they would have
or would not have done if it
were them. If it’s true
that “You’re never
too old to learn”, then
why stop teaching?
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Stop
| Think | Connect
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- The
Department
of Homeland
Security
has a
campaign
called Stop
| Think
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Connect.
It is
a national
public
awareness
effort
to
guide
the nation
to
a higher
level
of Internet
safety
and
security
by educating
and empowering
the American
public
to be more
vigilant
about
practicing
safe online
habits.
The
campaign
encourages
Americans
to view
Internet
safety
and security
as a shared
responsibility – at
home,
in the
workplace,
and in
our
communities.
For more
information
on Stop
| Think
| Connect,
visit www.dhs.gov/stopthinkconnect.
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- We
may
not be
able
to change
the
world,
and
the daily
news
may
cause
us
to
wonder “can
it
get
any
worse?” You
may
feel
a
sense
of
hopelessness
for
your
children
and
their
future,
but
again;
let’s
not
think
on
those
things.
Instead,
think
about
educating
your
family.
Start
out
with
one
small
piece
(your
children)
and
include
others
such
as
your
nieces,
nephews,
your
children’s
friends,
your
neighbors,
co-workers.
We
can
do
something
for
the
future.
You
can
make
a
difference… passing
along
your
knowledge.
The
possibilities
are
endless….not
hopeless
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Do
your part for safety awareness by passing this
information along to anyone you can think of
who would benefit.
Have
a great week, and remember…… Be
Responsible - Be Ready - Be Prepared!
Teaming Up for Emergency Preparedness
Elizabeth Hall
Office of Emergency Management
280 Campus Drive Hanford, CA 93230
(559) 582-3211, Ext. 2634
www.kingscountyoem.com
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