How To Teach Kids About Gaming and In-App Scams

The most common gaming scams

Most gaming scams children encounter fall into a handful of repeating patterns: fake websites or videos promising free in-game currency in exchange for entering an account login, phishing messages claiming a child's account will be banned unless they 'verify' it by clicking a link, and scammers posing as other players offering a trade or rare item that turns out to be fake or never arrives. Because these scams appear inside a trusted environment — a game played every day, chat with people who seem to be fellow players — children often don't apply the same caution they might to a stranger's email. Naming these specific patterns, rather than a vague 'be careful online,' gives children something concrete to recognise.

• Free V-Bucks / Robux / gems generators: websites that claim to add currency to your account but steal your login instead
• Item trading scams: a player offers a trade then disappears with your items
• Mod or cheat downloads: files that install malware or account-stealing software
• Fake 'pro player' recruiting: messages claiming to recruit for a team, asking for personal details or account access

How to talk about it without banning fun

The goal is a sceptical, curious child rather than an anxious or restricted one — someone who thinks 'that's too good to be true' rather than someone afraid to play games at all. Use real examples rather than abstract warnings: 'if a website says you can get free in-game currency just by logging in with your username and password, that's actually how people steal accounts — the real game will never ask for your password anywhere except its own official app.' Ask them to show you anything that promises free items or currency before clicking, framed as curiosity rather than suspicion. Praise them when they spot something suspicious themselves, since positive reinforcement builds the habit faster than rules alone.

• Use examples from games they play — 'If someone offered you 10,000 free V-Bucks, what do you think they want in return?'
• Agree on a rule: never enter account details on a website a friend sent a link to
• Praise scepticism — make it cool to question whether something is real
• Remind them that free in-game currency does not exist outside the official game store

Practical protective steps

A small number of settings changes meaningfully reduce risk: turn on purchase confirmation or a PIN for in-app spending so nothing can be bought without a parent's involvement, use a family or child account with spending limits where the platform supports it, and avoid saving a card number directly on a shared or child-accessible device. Agree together on a simple rule, such as always checking with a parent before entering login details anywhere outside the game's own official app, and before accepting any 'trade' or 'gift' from another player. Review purchase history together occasionally, framed as a normal check-in rather than an accusation, so unauthorised spending is caught quickly rather than discovered weeks later on a bill.

• Enable two-factor authentication on all gaming accounts
• Set up parental approval for any purchases
• Use a dedicated email address for gaming accounts, separate from school email
• Check privacy settings so strangers cannot send friend or message requests

Conversation script

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• FTC — Kids and Video Games
• FTC — What to Know About Kids, Video Games, Ads, and Unexpected Payments
• FTC — Playing It Safe: The FTC's Top Video Game Cases
• Action Fraud — Fraudsters Targeting Online Gamers