For 25 years, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has worked tirelessly to protect our kids. Whether reuniting families and recovering missing children, or tracking down those who would threaten their safety, NCMEC has been a champion of families all over the country. The AMW Safety Center gives you an inside look at how NCMEC works; showing you some of the high tech tools and the strategic partnerships they have forged with top government agencies to help keep our children safe.

In our fast paced society, our cellphones have become such an important tool for keeping up with contacts while on the go. Whether communicating a change in plans, getting in touch with work or our kids, or during the course of running errands, our cell phones help to keep us moving along without missing a beat.

Unfortunately, for too many people, using a phones on the go means using it while in the car. More and more of us are talking, or even worse, texting while driving, leading to an increase in dangerous highway accidents.

According to American Automobile Association (AAA) research, 1 in 5 drivers in the U.S. admitted to texting while driving at least once in the prior 30 days. Using a phone while driving creates a dangerous distraction to the driver, putting themselves, their passengers, and everyone else on the road around them at risk of accident.

Starting October 5, the AAA calls on motorists to drive distraction free for one week; kicking off their “Heads Up Driving Week” in order to promote safe driving habits to motorists all over the country.

Any distractions during driving are extremely dangerous. It’s important that adults set a good example for the young drivers in their family so they can establish good habits early on. Check out AAA online for more tips on promoting traffic safety for drivers of all ages and all levels of experience.

Scams come in many different shapes — identity theft, credit repair, smishing, phone crammers, online dating — but they all have the same goal: taking advantage of you. If you are targetted by a scammer, you might be taken for cash, or worse, you could be the victim of identity theft. Someone could get control of your personal information and if you are unaware, they could continue spending money in your name, open new accounts, ruin your credit and ruin your life.

Over 9 million Americans fall victim to some form of identity theft each year, so it’s important to make sure you are taking the proper precautions to be sure you are protecting yourself.

The AMW Safety Center is full of information to help you identify all types of scams. And if you happen to find yourself the victim of a scam, we have a lot of tips for what to do to help you regain control.

You can’t always avoid every trap, but building up your awareness and street smarts is your best defense againsts scams and fraud. And check out the FTC for even more information on protecting yourself and reporting any fraud attempts.

The Hidden Impact of Identity Theft

Staying On Guard Against Identity Theives

Beware Of Credit Repair Schemes