The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has issued a public service announcement about the improper security and privacy protections provided by manufacturers of Internet-connected smart toys, also known as IoT toys.

The IC3 issues such advisories when it spots trends of abuse in a specific area of technology.

It's most recent warning comes after numerous incidents where insecure smart toys have leaked the personal details of small children, vulnerabilities allowed hackers to spy on little kids, or greedy companies have hidden clauses inside lengthy terms of conditions to allow them to collect large quantities of private information about small kids.

Here's a small list of incidents with IoT toys from the last few years:

"Consumers should examine toy company user agreement disclosures and privacy practices, and should know where their family’s personal data is sent and stored, including if it’s sent to third-party services," the FBI says. "Security safeguards for these toys can be overlooked in the rush to market them and to make them easy to use."

The FBI advises parents to follow a simple set of rules before buying smart toys for their kids.