Authorities urge parents to think about cyber safety when buying holiday gifts
CAMDEN COUNTY, N.J. - Authorities are urging parents this holiday season to think about cyber safety when it comes to electronic gifts.
"Who is that?" said an 8-year-old girl in a disturbing video from a Ring camera in her bedroom. Her parents say someone hacked it and began talking to her while she was alone in her room.
"I'm Santa Claus. Don't you want to be my best friend?" said the male voice.
The creepy voice began using profanity and instructing the child to do things.
“Oh that’s really scary,” said Jaime Sleeper. He says he has a Ring cam installed in his home.
Police say that's not the only device parents should be aware of when it comes to people possibly getting access to your children. FOX 29's Shawnette Wilson talked to Jamie while he was with his son and 11-year-old daughter Avery at Cherry Hill Mall.
“We’re definitely are a little concerned about how easy it is for her to get on stuff. TikTok is one,” he said.
Recently, police say someone hacked into a local teen's TikTok account, got access to his parents' debit card and charged $3,400. It's incidents like these that led Cherry Hill Police and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office to set up at the mall to warn parents.
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Avery says her mom won't allow her on Instagram and Snapchat yet and her TikTok account is private.
"She doesn't want anything to happen to me or my phone," said Avery.
Law enforcement set up a board listing some of the major social media sites and apps that parents and teens should know about.
Law enforcement will be back at Cherry Hill Mall on Dec. 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. to talk about cyber safety.
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