How To Protect Teenagers From Online Scams
Help teens avoid gaming, social media, sextortion, and money-mule scams.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Teenagers face scams built precisely for their online lives: gaming and 'free skins' scams, fake social media shops and giveaways, sextortion, and money-mule recruitment dressed up as easy money. If you're a worried parent, the instinct to monitor everything or take devices away usually backfires — it teaches teens to hide problems exactly when you need them to talk. What protects them most is knowing the common scam patterns, and absolute certainty that they can tell you anything without punishment. This guide covers the scams themselves and how to build that trust.
Common scams targeting teens
Teenagers encounter a different set of scams than adults, built around the platforms they actually use. In gaming, scammers offer free in-game currency or rare items in exchange for account login details, then strip the account. On social media, fake modelling, sponsorship, or 'brand ambassador' offers ask for an upfront fee or personal photos. Sextortion scams trick or pressure a teen into sharing an intimate image, then demand payment or more images under threat of sharing it publicly. Money-mule recruitment offers easy cash for letting someone 'borrow' a bank account to move money through it, which is actually a form of money laundering that can carry legal consequences for the teen. Naming these formats out loud helps a teenager recognise the pattern before it plays out.
- Gaming scams (free in-game currency, account 'verification')
- Social media giveaway and shop scams
- Sextortion via flirtatious new 'contacts'
- 'Easy money' that's actually money-mule recruitment
How to help
The single most protective thing you can do is make it clear, before anything happens, that your teenager can come to you about any online scam without punishment — especially sextortion, where shame and fear of losing their phone or being blamed often keep victims silent for far too long. Say directly: 'If anyone ever threatens you online, you will not be in trouble, and we deal with it together immediately.' Talk through real examples of scam messages so they can recognise the tone even when the format is new. If something does happen, act fast: preserve messages as evidence, report the account on the platform, and involve the police for threats or extortion rather than trying to handle it alone.
- Make clear they can always tell you, no matter what — no punishment
- Explain that sextortion is a crime against them, and paying rarely helps
- Warn that letting others use their bank account can be a crime
- Encourage scepticism of 'free' and 'easy money' offers
The first hour after a teen tells you
How you respond in the first minutes after a teenager discloses a scam or threat will shape whether they ever come to you again, so lead with calm before anything practical. Thank them for telling you, say plainly that they are not in trouble, and keep your face and voice steady even if what you hear is frightening. Then work through the practical steps side by side rather than taking the phone away: screenshot messages, usernames, and payment demands before anything is deleted; stop all replies to the scammer without blocking immediately, since evidence may still be needed; and report the account on the platform. For sextortion or any threat, contact the police and use the image-removal tools that platforms and child-safety organisations provide. Do not confiscate the device as a reflex — losing their phone feels like punishment and teaches the wrong lesson to them and to siblings watching.
- React with calm first — practical steps come second
- Say clearly: 'You are not in trouble'
- Screenshot evidence before anything is deleted
- Stop replying, report the account, involve police for threats
- Use platform and child-safety image-removal tools for sextortion
- Don't confiscate the phone as a reflex
Conversation script
“If anyone online ever pressures or threatens you — including about images — you can tell me and you won't be in trouble.”
“Never let anyone use your bank account to move money, even a friend — it can be a crime.”
“If something online seems like free money or free stuff, let's check it together first.”
Frequently asked questions
My teen is being sextorted — what should they do?
Stop contact and don't pay (paying usually increases demands), preserve evidence, and report to the platform and police. Reassure them it's a crime against them and they're not to blame — support, not punishment, is key.