As kids spend more time gaming, chatting and using social media, scammers are increasingly targeting them. These criminals exploit trust and curiosity, often disguising scams as games, prizes, friendships or easy money offers.

In order to combat scammers, it’s crucial that we educate our children about online threats and how to avoid them. Here are some common online scams that target kids, and tips to keeping kids safe online.

Gaming scams

One way to deceive kids into giving out private information is to promise free game currency or rare items in exchange for login details. Once kids log in to fake websites, it’s difficult to prevent scammers from causing serious damage.

Impersonation

Scammers will often pose as new friends, influencers or game moderators who send friend requests from fake accounts. The goal is to coerce the victim into clicking on links that will give scammers access to their device or account.

The phrase “stranger danger” refers to predators who focus on kids intending to cause harm to the victim for personal satisfaction. It’s used to remind kids that friendly strangers can be harmful and might not be who they claim to be. These strangers can go as far as asking for sexual or intimate content with the intent to extort the unsuspecting child.

Phishing scams

Scammers pretending to be officials will email or text kids letting them know they won a contest or are eligible for a prize. These contest scams can also appear as pop-ups on websites.

Fake websites

Scammers are skilled at creating fake websites that mimic the original source like educational or gaming platforms where children go to download games or gaming software. These bogus downloads can contain harmful software that try to trick kids into providing personal information or sending money.

Trading Scams

In gaming, it’s common practice to trade valuable virtual items with an online stranger who is communicating through their gaming or social media profile. This practice falls in line with the objectives of a trading scammer. Always be aware of the games your child is playing and the scams that are associated with them.

Sextortion

 Sextortion is a type of extortion aimed at teenagers. Scammers contact their young victims using a fake profile and pretend to flirt or show a romantic interest intending to gain their trust. They then persuade their victim to share personal and intimate photos of themselves which are used to pressure them into sending money to prevent the photos from being distributed.

Sextortion scams are carried out by professional scammers and can be severely damaging to the victims and their families.

Keeping your kids safe online

Children have a natural affinity to trust. It helps them learn, connect and grow. Online spaces take advantage of that natural trust. In addition, for most children, social validation is more important than safety.  Online spaces fill that need by providing attention, conversation and connection. The best way to keeping your kids safe online is to recognize possible warning signs.

Some common signals that your child may be trusting someone online include keeping conversations secret; strongly defending an online relationship; being emotionally attached to someone online; and feeling anxious when unable to access a device.

Keeping your kids safe online starts with talking to them regularly about online safety and digital trust. Focus less on warnings and more on connection—listen without judgment and ask questions.  Talk through real-life situations and normalize mistakes and curiosity. Trust grows when kids feel safe talking to you.

Teach your child to look for warning signs like asking for secrecy, requesting personal details, or offers for gifts or rewards.

Teach solid digital habits like using privacy settings and strong passwords with two-factor authentication. Encourage openness so kids feel safe reporting suspicious messages. Always supervise appropriately with parental controls and age-appropriate monitoring.

The goal to keeping your kids safe online isn’t to scare kids away from the internet, but to empower them to navigate it safely. With the right knowledge and support, children can learn to recognize scams, protect their information, and enjoy the online world with confidence.