Scams & Account Security for Young People

The scams aimed at children and teens — gaming currency, fake giveaways, stolen accounts, QR codes, fake tech support — and how to spot them.

Please do not upload, email or paste suspected child sexual abuse material to this site. Report it directly to the IWF, CEOP or police instead.

1. What it is

Children are targeted by scammers too — through games, social media, and fake messages. The scams are tailored: "free Robux/V-Bucks", fake giveaways, stolen gaming accounts, crypto offers, malicious links, QR-code scams and fake tech support. Young people often don't report it because they're embarrassed or fear losing their device privileges — which is exactly what the scammers rely on.

2. Warning signs (five to watch)

• "Free" currency or items that ask for a login or password.
• Messages that create urgency: "your account will be deleted in 1 hour".
• Someone "from the game/support" asking for your password or a verification code.
• QR codes on fliers, stickers or DMs promising freebies.
• Links in game chat or DMs — even from "friends" (their account may be hacked).

3. What a child can do

• Never share passwords or verification codes — not with friends, not with "support", not with anyone.
• Never click links in game chat or from strangers.
• Never scan random QR codes promising free stuff.
• Turn on 2FA on gaming and email accounts with a parent's help.
• Tell an adult if an account is hacked — don't try to "buy it back" from the scammer.

4. What a parent/carer can do

• Enable 2FA on email and gaming accounts — email is the master key to everything.
• Use a password manager so each account has a unique, strong password.
• Set spending caps and PINs on game stores.
• Reassure: getting scammed is not a punishment-worthy offence — it happens to adults too.
• Report hacked accounts to the platform and, for money lost to fraud, to Action Fraud (0300 123 2040).

5. Report & support

• Hacked account: report to the platform's support and reset passwords immediately.
• Money lost to a scam: contact the bank urgently (APP fraud rules) and report to Action Fraud — actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040.
• Scam messages: forward scam texts to 7726 (free) and report phishing to [email protected].
• If a scam is linked to grooming or exploitation: report to CEOP.

💙 Got scammed?

It's not your fault. Scammers are professionals. Help exists.