Topic 7

Digital Commerce Scenarios

Scenario #1

John enjoys searching on the Internet for items to purchase that are related to his favorite hobby, skateboarding. John has discovered several sites that offer many products related to skateboarding, including boards, protective wear such as knee and elbow pads, helmets; clothing; and other miscellaneous items. John has set up a login account for purchases he wants to make. John uses his dad's credit card to make three purchases. John is anxious to finish each purchase and quickly fills out the personal information, including address, phone number, email address, and credit card information. John has received some of his purchases and his happy with the products he bought. A few days later, John's dad receives his credit card bill in the mail and sees the purchases that John made. The purchases are for amounts that are greater than the prices John told his dad. In addition, there are other charges on the credit card that John's dad is not aware of. John's dad is sure that John has made other purchases than the ones he knew about.

• Inappropriate Response Example
  John is not allowed to use the Internet for any purchases. John's dad lectures him sternly on the use of credit cards and purchasing things without permission. Despite John's insistence that he only purchased items from one website, his dad is sure that he is not telling the truth, and they get into a huge argument.

• Appropriate Response Example
  John and his dad sit down and together discuss the purchase that show up on the credit card statement. During their discussion it is discovered that the additional purchases are not made by John and it appears that someone has the credit card information and has been using it to purchase other items. John and his dad contact the credit card company to investigate the unapproved purchases. They also return to the skateboarding site and discover that John did not check a security box that would have prevented the company from sharing information with other companies. By not doing this, John and John's dad have been receiving phone calls and emails about purchasing other products.

Scenario #2 - Amy Antle

A middle school teacher overheard two girls talking about how they had gotten into their parents' wallets and taken credit cards without the parents consents. They planned to use their parents' personal information along with the credit cards to purchase music and videos online.

• Inappropriate Response Example
  The teacher would abruptly interrupt the conversation between the two girls while shouting how that is theft and they could be charged with a crime. The teacher would walk them to the office where the police are contacted and parents are notified.

• Appropriate Response Example
  The teacher asks the girls to come to her classroom where they have a nice discussion. The teacher uses the opportunity to discuss with the students how the act of taking something that does not belong to them and they did not have permission to have is considered theft. She then shares with them how it is illegal and unsafe to use another person's personal information to purchase products online without his/her consent. They discuss how this information is going to be shared with their parents. The teacher explains how she expects the girls to inform their parents that evening as she would be making contact with them as well.

How can teachers make a difference?

• Teachers can incorporate lessons on Internet safety and making purchases online can be part of that unit.

• Teachers should educate students on how to safely use the Internet without giving personal information that can be seen by everyone and therefore used in unsafe ways

Reference: https://sites.google.com/a/aea11.k12.ia.us/heartland-digital-citizenship/commerce

#1 Online account protection

Most conversations you have with your kids about getting online are about things like cyber-bullying, but talking to your kids about protecting their online accounts is just as important. Kids are notorious for hacking each others’ accounts, so it’s important your kids understand why login information and passwords are so important, because they ensure no one else can access their accounts. Make sure to teach them how to create a strong password using the following tips:

• Don’t use basic personal information that people could know

• Always use a combination of letters and numbers

• Use capital letters and special characters to make your password even more unique

• Don’t use the same password on everything

For little ones you can even make a game of writing down a few passwords—some weak, some strong—and having your kids rank them in order of password strength. Make sure to finish off the conversation with a reminder to never share login information or passwords with anyone for any reason.

#2 Safe online shopping

More and more consumers are shopping online, including kids. It’s important to make sure your kids understand the difference between a secure online shopping site and a website that’s a scam to get your credit card information. Teach your kids to make sure they only enter credit card information on secure websites. They should look for a green URL web address bar at the top of their browser with an address that begins with “https://” (like what you see when you enter your PowerWallet). If the web address bar is still white or they don’t see the “s” on “http://” the website is not secure and they should not enter any bank account or credit card account information. Remember to show them the difference with a few examples online.

#3 Email phishing scams

Phishing is when scammers send fake emails meant to get your personal information. You get an email that may even look like it’s from a legitimate source, but it’s really a scam artist trying to get your personal information. In some cases, even just opening a fraudulent email can infect your computer with spyware. Here are some tips to help you teach your kids not to get caught by bad phishing schemes:

• Teach your kids to only open mail from people they know

• Permanently delete anything without opening it if they don’t know who it’s from

• Never send personal information and/or account information in an email

• Don’t be pulled in by tempting email subject lines—words like “winner” and “free” are almost sure signs of scams

• Don’t open anything from a company you don’t know—even if the company name looks professional and legitimate