The internet is a sea of information and it can be very beneficial for curious Teens who want to know about everything. If used right, it kindles their creativity and curiosity and aids in out-of-the-box learning.
But it comes with its threats. And one such is Cyber Scams! Such scams attract teens the most as they are inexperienced and they have trusting natures. The Internet has become the need of the hour, for everyone, including children, especially after the Pandemic. So, it has become necessary for parents to teach their child about possible internet threats, especially Cyber Scams as they are the most prevalent.

Let’s know about the different types of Cyber Scams that you should protect your child from!

Common Cyber Scams You Must Know About

1. Phishing

Phishing is the most used method by scammers to enter the computer systems. These fraud emails will come from well-known organizations probably luring for opportunities that seem too good to be true. They will pretend that there is an issue with your account. Then, ask for your personal details to resolve the same. In that way, they will trick you into giving them access to your systems or bank accounts.

2. Dating Scams

Teens are vulnerable to love. So, dating scams are the most common type of cyber scams that teens face. Hackers create fake profiles on legitimate dating sites or they will approach your kids through social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, etc. With their sugar-coated talks, they try to get hold of teens and then ask for money in the name of any emergency or medical problem.

3. Charity Scams

Hackers will always try to take advantage of your weak point. They write long emotional messages and emails embedded with false stories and then they will ask you to donate money for a good cause. Often scammers make traps by mentioning some recent natural disaster that has been very popular and asks for money by pretending to work for a legitimate cause.

4. Online Shopping

In this, scammers set up fake online shopping portals and display discounts that are too good to be true. Well! Once you hand over your hard-earned money to them, you will never receive that product you bought. In some cases, you will get a really bad quality one and in others, you will receive nothing at all.

5. Job and Scholarship Scams

Teenagers are always fascinated by quick money and try to find opportunities for the same. Hackers lure teens by giving them work from home offers(by just working for a few hours at home) or some fake scholarship for education abroad in return for initial upfront payments. After the money is deposited, the employers are nowhere to be seen.
Sometimes they also take the wrong advantage of these innocent teens by calling them for interviews at any secluded place.
They promote these cyber scams with the help of spam emails or advertisements on social media.

6. Social Media Scams

Teens literally live in their phones and scrolling on social media apps is their favorite pastime. Scammers take it as a golden opportunity to make teens their victims. They pop up any interesting online survey on their feed. And then ask for participant’s personal information. Scammers then use this information to fulfill their own agendas.

Final Thoughts

There is only one “Mantra” to keep yourself safe from these scams, if it is looking too good to be true then probably it is. Parents should take steps to safeguard themselves and their children from these scammers. They can’t deny their children from using the internet. But at least they can alert their child about the threats. 

Parental control apps have proven to be very effective in keeping teens away from these cyber scams. Bit Guardian Parental Control allows parents to keep an eye on their child’s online activity. In that way, they can filter out most of the potential threats beforehand.

The post Major Types of Cyber Scams Your Child Should Be Aware Of appeared first on Parenting Tips: Modern Parenting Techniques for Digital Kids.