Online Scams Targeting Children and Teens
Scammers target children because children respond fast and ask fewer
questions.
Common approaches:
- Free game currency, skins, or Robux in exchange for a login
- A prize your child never entered to win
- An urgent warning that an account will be deleted
- Someone impersonating a friend, asking for a code or a gift
card - Links in game chat that lead to a login page that looks real
The pattern underneath all of them is urgency plus a small ask. Teach
one rule that covers most of it: nothing real requires you to act in the
next 60 seconds.
Practical habits to set:
- Never enter a game or social password on a page reached from a chat
link - Never share a verification code, even with someone who says they are
a friend - Gift cards are not a payment method for anything legitimate
- When something feels off, screenshot it and show a parent
If money or account access was already lost, change the password,
turn on two-factor authentication, and report it in the platform.
Start the conversation: “Has anyone online ever offered you something that turned out to be fake?”
This article is educational. It is not medical, legal, or
emergency advice.