Every year, millions of teenagers, without knowing it, become victims and accomplices of fraudulent schemes. It can all start with a harmless like or repost on a social network. This serves as a signal for scammers who can drag your child into the so-called “engagement funnel” in a matter of minutes.
Fraudsters act according to a specific scenario, depending on the child’s interests or information they can find out about them via internet. It is important for attackers to interact with children in closed chats, they try to install spyware on their phones or convince them to disclose personal information (full details of the parents' credit cards, SMS codes, etc.), and also send infected files to parents, relatives, friends.
It is extremely difficult to block such groups and stop fraudsters on the internet, because formally, up to a certain point, they do not break the law. And the interaction of scammer with the victim is personal.
Recommendation: it is important to explain to children that it is not the technologies that are dangerous but the people who use them for selfish purposes. Therefore, teach children three following “NO”:
- do not visit unfamiliar sites;
- do not follow suspicious links,
- do not participate in suspicious activities.
Install antivirus applications on your children's gadget and make sure that in all dubious and unclear situations they can contact you or your relatives.
Photo courtesy of public sources
