The internet is a popular medium for young people. While it might seem that sitting in front of a computer is safer than riding on the streets or dirt bikes, this is not the case. There are many potential dangers to the internet , including cyberbullying and online scams. Parents need to ensure their children are protected.
Here are some tips to help you talk to your teenagers about internet scams. These scams can potentially cause them financial loss, reputation damage, or even death. It’s important to start raising awareness about online frauds as soon as your teens use the internet.
Teens and Kids are being scammed
Social Catfish , an online background check service, published a 2021 study about internet scams in America. It was partially compiled from data from the Internet Crime Complaint Center, Federal Trade Commission, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The alarming increase in scams involving children and teens was a result of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) releasing data. This is even more than the 112 percent growth rate for seniors.
While it is obvious that children today are comfortable using the internet, it’s also possible that they have become too comfortable and trusting. David Wurst, the founder of WebCitz a full-service digital marketing agency, says that teens and young adults might be more trusting than adults and may fall for scams more often. It seems that teens and young adults are more likely to be cybercrime victims than older adults, whether they’re ignorant or not. They may also have a harder time recovering from it.
Online Scams
There are many online scams that target teens. Many involve social media and are used to steal identity information. Judith Bitterli is McAfee Senior Vice President of Consumer Monetizations. She says that teens are often lured by fake auctions for luxury goods, scholarship offers, job offers, and the promise of free stuff like cell phones.
It all begins with awareness for parents, says Wurst. He says that parents need to be aware about the most common scams targeting youth so they can help their children avoid them. Below are four types of online scams that we have identified and what parents should know to protect their children.
1. Financial/Banking Scams
Peer-to-peer (P2P), cash apps such as Zelle or Venmo can be used to scam kids, according to Bitterli. Cash apps are linked to personal accounts so scammers can sell goods to you or to befriend you in order to send money. Then they disappear.
Bitterli also warns that scams can be used to offer in-game currency such as Fornite Vbucks. Clicking on the link and entering their username and password will grant gamers free currency, but it won’t show up in their accounts. Although the debate continues about how to improve Apple’s and Google Play’s app security standards but for now, anyone downloading any app is at some risk.”
2. Phishing
Phishing refers to the fraudulent practice of sending emails to one recipient in an attempt to trick them into giving personal or bank account information. This can then be used for identity thieves. Phishing scams today are almost impossible to recognize. Scammers are becoming more adept at imitating legitimate company logos, fonts, tone of voice, and fonts. These are some tips to recognize phishing attempts.
Urgent action. You may see phrases like “respond now!” Or “limited time only!”
Poor grammar and spelling errors. To avoid making mistakes, real emails from legitimate businesses are often run through spell-check software.
A non-specific greeting. Phishing emails may not have your real name. They might start with strange greetings such as “Dear Sir” or “Ms.”
Bizarre return email address. This is the easiest way to identify a scam. It is important to verify that an email’s return address is correct and will be returned to the company it was sent from.
It sounds too good to a be true! Designer handbags for half the price No interview necessary for modeling contracts These are likely scams. This old saying is still true today: If something seems too good to true, it probably is.
3. Romance scams
According to Bitterli, some of the most common scams are found in fake dating apps. According to the FTC, the record amount of consumers who lost $304 million to romance scams in 2020 was reported by the FTC. This is a significant increase in since the outbreak of. Some scams appear to be legit dating apps. Others surface in hangout apps like Google Hangouts and Words with Friends.
4. Malware Download
Malware is a technique that allows you to download unfavorable programs onto your computer. According to the Australian website.
To Stop these types of scams and stay your kids safe you can use parental control apps like Safes app.
