5 Threats You Should Talk About with Your Family

For many people, family matters more than just about anything else. For instance, if you’re a parent, you might worry about possible threats your kids can face. You may also worry about your spouse or partner if they work outside the home.

You don’t want to make yourself sick with worrying, but that doesn’t mean you should not talk to your family members about particular threats they may encounter in the modern world. Some particular dangers remain prevalent, and we’ll go over a few of them right now. You may choose to speak to your family members about some or all of these if you think they’re worth discussing.

Vishing Scams

Vishing scams cost Americans $48 million in 2018. If you don’t know the term, vishing means someone calling you and impersonating someone else. The scammer tries to get you to reveal personal or sensitive information they can use to get money from you. They may also try to steal your identity with the info you inadvertently give them.

Often, vishing scams work better on the elderly or anyone else who doesn’t realize they should not give away any personal data over the phone until they verify the caller’s identity. Generally, you won’t have an entity like a bank calling you and asking you for your social security number or other crucial information.

Some sophisticated vishing scams even involve spoofing the caller ID to make it seem like they’re calling from a reputable entity. You should not give away personal information to someone who calls you out of the blue, though. Talking to your family about this should prevent them from falling for these scams.

If you ever get a call from an entity that you think might have a factual or genuine basis, you can do some independent research to see whether they are legit. Your family members can do the same. Doing some checking online before revealing any privileged information always makes sense.

Vicious Dog Attacks

Lately, vicious dog attacks have shown up in the headlines. Sometimes, pit bulls or rottweilers get loose and attack unsuspecting individuals, especially smaller children who make tempting targets.

Dogs that humans train to attack pose a real threat to children and even some adults. You will probably want to talk to your family about that, especially if you see dogs running loose in your neighborhood or city.

Make sure to accompany your younger children to the bus stop, and keep mace or pepper spray on you as a possible deterrent. You can also call 911 if you see any dogs roaming through your neighborhood without the owner nearby.

Sun Exposure

We’re getting into the hottest time of year, and climate change has made record temperatures the norm all across the country. Your kids might want to play outside, and there’s no reason why they can’t do that, but you should remind them to hydrate regularly.

They can take frequent water breaks if they’re out in the neighborhood playing during summer days. They can also wear sunblock and come inside during the hottest hours.

Talk to your kids about getting a little sun on the warmer days, but not too much. Sun exposure can help you get Vitamin D and improve your mood, but you need to limit going outside during the hottest months, especially in parts of the south and southwest.

Gun Violence

Recent gun violence trends are enough to make any parent worry. If you feel that way, you’ll certainly want to make sure and keep guns away from your kids, if you own any.

You can keep firearms in a locked safe or cabinet, and you should tell your kids never to handle them. You should also keep guns unloaded and keep the ammunition somewhere apart from the weapons.

Some parents want to keep their kids away from schools and do homeschooling in light of recent mass shooting incidents. If that’s not too impractical, you might want to at least consider it.

Traffic

If you know your kids like to play outside a lot, you might want to ask them to stay in your fenced-in yard instead of going out into the street. During the summer, some drivers like to zoom through neighborhoods going significantly over the speed limit.

If you see a lot of traffic on your street, make sure your kids know to keep away from that. They can play in the front or backyard and stay out of danger.