Helping your child stay safe from online scams

Recent research shows that almost half (46%) of children aged 8 to 17 have been scammed online. And nearly 1 in 3 young people aged 13 to 21 have experienced fraud in the past year. Knowing what to look out for – and how to talk to your child about scams – can help you keep them safer online.

In this article, we’ll cover the scams kids are most likely to come across, the warning signs to watch out for, and what to do if it happens to your child.

Why children are targeted

Scammers don’t only target adults; in fact, Monzo data shows that young people are among those most affected. Children and teenagers can be targeted because they spend lots of time online, may be more trusting, and often have less experience spotting scams. Scammers may also try to make children feel like they’ll get in trouble if they tell someone.

That’s why talking openly about scams can really help. If your child knows they can speak to you, they’re more likely to ask for help if something doesn’t feel right.

The scams most likely to affect children

Purchase scams (buying something online that doesn’t exist)

Purchase scams happen when someone pays for something that never arrives, or doesn’t exist at all. Teenagers are frequently targeted when buying things like clothes and trainers, gig or event tickets, gaming items or phones. It happens regularly through social media and online marketplaces where buyer protections are weaker.

There are some common warning signs – the seller might offer something at an unusually low price, pressure your child to pay quickly, or ask them to pay by bank transfer. Sellers may also ask to move the conversation off the platform to avoid detection.

What to do: encourage your child to check with you before paying someone they only know online, and teach them what to look out for.

Fake job scams

Scammers make contact through social media, messaging apps or online groups. They promise easy money for simple tasks like liking posts, reviewing products or completing surveys. The ‘job’ feels accessible and low-risk, which is exactly the point.

The scammer may then ask your child to receive money into their account and send it on, framing it as a normal part of the role. This is known as ‘money muling’ – when someone lets their bank account be used to receive and move money that may have come from crime. It can have serious consequences, even if your child didn’t realise what they were getting involved in.

Warning signs include someone promising quick or guaranteed money, asking for a fee before your child can ‘start’, asking for bank details, card details or a PIN, or insisting everything’s kept secret.

What to do: talk to your children about how real jobs work. Explain that a genuine employer shouldn’t ask them to pay money upfront to get a job, and that offers of quick or guaranteed money can be a warning sign. Read more about job scams here.

Blackmail and sextortion

Blackmail is when a scammer uses a threat of embarrassment, exposure or harm to force someone to send money or do something they don’t want to do.

Sextortion is a specific form of blackmail where a scammer threatens to share intimate images, videos or messages. The images could be real or created using AI, but either way, the threat can be extremely distressing. It can happen quickly; a scammer might build a relationship with a child online before getting hold of an intimate image, or creating a fake one, and then threatening to share it unless the child does what they ask.

What to do: encourage your child to tell you or another trusted adult as soon as they can if something like this happens. They shouldn’t send money or anything else the scammer asks for.

Blackmail and sextortion are crimes you should report to the police. You can also reach out to Report Remove for help getting nude photos taken down.

How to talk to your child about online safety

Most children who’ve experienced a scam don’t tell a parent straight away. They may be worried about getting in trouble or feel embarrassed about what happened. 

Remind your child that anyone can be targeted by a scam – if you’ve experienced a scam yourself, you might want to tell them what happened and what you did afterwards. And reassure them that they can always come to you for help, even if something’s already happened.

What to do if your child is scammed

If your child tells you they’ve been scammed, try to stay calm. They may already feel scared or embarrassed, so reassure them that telling you was the right thing to do.

Ask them what happened; try to get as much detail as possible. If there are messages or other evidence, keep them so you can refer back to them when reporting the scam.

How Monzo helps protect younger customers

If your child has an Under 16s account, we may flag payments that look unusual or potentially unsafe. This could include a first payment to someone new, a larger payment than usual, several payments sent close together, or a payment that matches patterns we see in scams.

If we flag a payment, we’ll let you know in the app and explain why we think it could be a concern. You can then decide what to do next. You can talk it through with your child, block future payments to or from that account, or report it as fraud if you think your child was targeted. You stay in control throughout. 

Reporting fraud on an Under 16s account

If you think your child has experienced fraud, report it to us as soon as you can. Go to the payment in the app and tap Something wrong? Get help.

If you can’t find the right option, contact us in the app and let us know what happened.

You should also report the profile or listing on the platform where it happened, and report to Action Fraud.

Getting more help

If your child’s being threatened, pressured or blackmailed, they can contact Childline for free on 08001111 any time, day or night.

If someone’s threatening to share intimate images or videos of your child, you can report it to CEOP (the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command).

If your child’s in immediate danger, call 999.