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What do online scams look like?

From artificial intelligence to phishing emails, online scams can take many forms. Learn how they might target and impact your child.

A mother uses her phone and laptop to learn about scams.

Quick things to know about online scams

Online scams can take many forms and impact about 4% (approximately half a million) of children in the UK.

Scams refer to the crime where criminals try to trick people out of their money. However, other scams that target victim’s information or login credentials also exist.

Young people can be at risk of a range of scams, including:

  • phishing;
  • sextortion;
  • false promises;
  • social media spoofing;
  • counterfeiting and misleading goods.

Read more about these scams and what they look like below.

AI has increased the sophistication of certain scams. Criminals can now pretend to be family and friends asking for help. Or they can deepfake videos to make it seem like someone is behaving in an unusual way.

Explore the ‘Prevent online scams’ guide to see how to protect children.

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What are online scams?

Online scams are cyber crimes which target people using the internet.

A scam can take many forms and can target anyone regardless of age. In fact, while many associate victims of scams with elderly people, our research shows that 4% of UK children say they’ve experienced scams. This means that online scams impact approximately half a million children in the UK.

Types of online scams

The following are different types of scams that could impact children and young people online.

Phishing

Phishing is one of the most common types of scams online. Scammers use it to prey on targets’ trusting nature or low media literacy skills. It also depends on potential victims not paying attention to the details.

  • Emails, texts or calls from a person or company that the target knows but from an unfamiliar number or email.
  • Messages asking targets to complete an action like click a link, fill in a form, buy something or respond to an email.
  • Urgent messages that require action, which could cause targets to panic.
  • Links on public posts such as via social media, which lead to unfamiliar or unprofessional websites.

Parents can also be targeted with these scams. You might receive a text from an unfamiliar number that claims to be your child.

Sextortion

Sextortion is where an abuser demands money from a victim under threat of sharing their nude images. These scammers prey on the target’s feelings of embarrassment and humiliation.

Sometimes, they might demand more nude images instead of payment. The criminals might have a nude image your child sent them. However, they might also only claim to have one, or they might have created one with AI nudifying tools.

  • A scammer messages the target to say they have a nude image of them;
  • They might send them the image as proof;
  • They’ll then threaten to release the image unless the target pays them or sends them another nude image.

Often, the criminal who is coercing the child will build a relationship with them first. This is especially true if they want the child to send a nude image to them first.

False promises

A scam that children are particularly vulnerable to are those in which false promises are made. Because children tend to be more trusting and less critical when it comes to requests from strangers, they are more likely to share private information.

Chloe shares her story of being scammed on Roblox.

Chloe from Kent is a big fan of online computer games. But as well as being fun, online games can have a serious side too. They are increasingly being used by scammers to target children, as Chloe herself has experienced.

“I used to create these videos and post them on social media, and a person said to me that they were a really huge fan of me and that they wanted to give me some Robux, which I could spend on different game passes to get into different games and clothes and to decorate my avatar as well, which made me really happy because there were lots of things I also wanted to get. So I was happy that I was going to get it for free from someone. So I thought since they were my fan, obviously they wanted to do something kind for me, so I accepted. And they asked for my password and my username, and so I gave it to them because I thought they they were just going to log in and give me some Robux.”

“How quickly did you realise that something was wrong after you gave them all your information?”

“Well, I realised that when I went to go check if the money was there, I realised that I couldn’t go back into my account. They changed the password, which is when I realised that they had hacked me.”

“What did you do to be able to get your account back?”

“Well, I told my older sisters, around 22-24 at the time, that had happened to me. So we contacted Roblox, and they gave me the code to be able to get back into my account.”

“Do you think there were like any warning signs that you might have missed?”

“I think that first of all giving away my password and username is a no. I didn’t even know the person, and I’m just giving away my password and username like that. I shouldn’t really be talking to people that I don’t know in the first place.”

“What would you say to other young people who had an experience like you did?”

“Um, luckily since I was really close to my sister, it’s great that I was comfortable enough to tell them that that happened to me. If you have a trusted adult, then you should really tell them because they’ll be most likely to be able to help you in these kinds of situations.”

Chloe had a lucky escape, but it shows that scammers use all kinds of tricks. We contacted Roblox, and they gave us this statement: “Every day, tens of millions of people of all ages come together to create, play and connect on Roblox, and we’ve built many features to help keep their accounts safe. We recommend setting up two-factor authentication, which helps to provide additional account security. Account login information, including passwords and access codes, should be kept private or shared only with a trusted known parent or caregiver.”

You can see the full report on Sky News this Saturday.

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This can lead to children losing personal accounts for their favourite games and apps. For older children who use online banking, this can lead to real financial impacts.

  • Someone contacts their target, promising them something such as help with beating a level, free items or in-game currency, scholarships, etc.
  • Usually, this person will need access to the target’s accounts or other personal information.
  • It might include transferring money to a bank account or requesting money from a target.
  • Generally, targets will then lose access to their account along with contact with the scammer.

Social media spoofing

Spoofing is where scammers create online accounts to impersonate others. Often, this includes friends and family as well as celebrities or corporate brands. The purpose is to trick others into taking a particular action.

  • A target appears to receive a direct message on social media from a friend, celebrity or other public figure;
  • The scammer asks for help (usually money) for a particular reason. For example, they need help for travel expenses to get somewhere.
  • They then take the money and stop responding to the target, ‘ghosting’ them.

Counterfeiting and misleading goods

Many social media platforms like TikTok and Pinterest offer shopping options for its users. However, some listings are not trustworthy even if the accounts are verified. For example, this video from content creator Safiya Nygaard, highlights how various accounts are verified and meet Pinterest’s Merchant Guidelines despite selling knock-off dresses.

Whether it’s clothes, accessories or electronics, many of these shops create cheap items that mimic more expensive or lesser-known brands.

  • Large discounts when compared with the same items from other shops;
  • A lot of negative reviews or only positive reviews. Or the reviews might seem repetitive as if following a script, which can sometimes happen with reviews that shops buy;
  • Materials are defective or feel cheap when bought;
  • Items never arrive after purchase.

Learn more about different scams

How artificial intelligence impacts online scams

As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, cyber criminals have found ways to use it to their advantage.

Deepfakes

Deepfakes are videos or audio recordings that make it seem like people are doing or saying things they never have. When it comes to scams, criminals might use deepfakes to blackmail, bully or humiliate targets.

Certain AI tools can ‘nudify’ photos of people – most commonly women and girls. Scammers can then use these photos, which make it look like people are nude or partially nude, to coerce victims. For instance, they might threaten to share the AI-generated image with friends, family or peers unless the victim sends them money – or more nudes.

Voice cloning

Voice cloning scams are a type of phishing scam where AI is used to imitate a person’s voice. It’s generally someone pretending to be a close friend or family member in trouble. Parents and carers are often targeted by someone pretending to be their child who needs money because they’re stranded or in trouble.

Equally, children could be targeted by someone pretending to be a friend or more distant family member.

Cloned voices are very convincing, so anyone can believe it’s really the person calling. The scammers tend to prey on panic victims might feel. This means that the victims are more likely to do what is asked, such as sending the scammer money before thinking about whether the call is real.

It’s important to encourage kids to think critically about things before taking action. They should come to you if someone offers them something for free or threatens them with something. Explore other ways to prevent scams here.

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Get personalised advice and ongoing support

The first step to ensure your child’s online safety is getting the right guidance. We’ve made it easy with our ‘My Family’s Digital Toolkit.’