As a protective parent of two teenagers, I’ve made peace with my kids having their own phones. After all, they’re 14 and 16 years old, and one of them will be driving independently in a few short months.
Unfortunately, letting my kids have phones exposes them to potential scams that wouldn’t apply if they were device-free. These schemes include the same kind of phishing texts and emails that adults receive.
But by teaching my kids to look out for certain red flags when it comes to these scams, I’ve been able to keep their – and my own – information safer.
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How I prevent my kids from becoming victims
My teenagers have had phones for a few years and have received their share of text scams and emails. For example, my youngest child received almost daily texts from someone who was adamant about getting her Roblox login details so they could “gift” her some credit for the game, which we monitored and reported until the messages finally stopped.
This, along with my kids’ school reporting a major data breach, was part of the reason I opted to freeze my children’s credit reports last year. But even with their credit frozen, it’s still important to help them avoid scams that can lead to financial losses and identity theft.
The first step is awareness
The first step to helping kids avoid phishing emails and texts is letting them know these messages exist — and that they will be receiving them. Awareness helps kids watch out for messages from people they don’t know or that don’t seem right.
I’ve told my children never to respond to messages from strangers under any circumstances. I’ve explained to them that criminals will use an array of tactics to get them to share their personal information, or even mine, so the best course of action is to avoid interacting altogether.
According to Ben Colman of Reality Defender, a cybersecurity firm focused on deepfake detection, parents should tell kids to use the “THINK” method before responding to text messages: Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?
“This helps them pause before engaging,” Colman said. “Children should also be taught to verify the sender’s identity through a different channel before clicking links or providing information.”
Teaching my kids to delete spam texts and block senders liberally
Everyone in our family has their device spam filter activated for texts and emails, so we don’t even see many of the scams. However, some still make their way into our regular inboxes, where we must deal with them.
I’ve taught my kids to delete scam and spam texts and block the numbers that sent them. This can be done automatically on iPhone and Android devices with a few clicks of a button.
I typically also report scam and spam texts I receive on my own device by copying the message and forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM). You can also report scam texts via the messaging apps on both iPhone and Android devices.
Helping them learn not to click on in-text links
I’ve also taught kids to never click on in-text links they receive via text message or email unless they can verify the source.
The FTC warns that some in-text links can install malware on your device that skims or steals sensitive information without your knowledge.
Keeping communication lines open
Finally, I let my kids know they can come to me for help if they’re ever in doubt about a message they receive. If anything looks suspicious or if they’re unsure who the sender is, I can take a look and help them decide on what to do next.
Keeping an open line of communication about potential threats — including the threat of identity theft or fraud — has helped my family stay safe from hackers and thieves so far. Most experts also agree that keeping the conversation going is an important part of the process.
“Your kids need to feel safe coming to you even if they’re in an awkward or embarrassing situation,” said John Wilson of cybersecurity company Fortra. “If possible, start talking with them before they really get active online. Let them know you’ll figure out problems together.”
What kinds of scams might target my kids?
While kids with phones and email accounts sometimes get caught up in scams that cast a wide net, there are instances where criminals specifically target the under-18 crowd.
At the end of the day, scammers don’t discriminate.
“If a teenager has a phone, they are vulnerable to phishing scams such as unpaid toll road text scams or undeliverable package text scams that aim to trick them into providing personal and financial information or downloading malware,” said Chief Innovation Officer Michael Scheumack of IdentityIQ, an identity theft protection provider.
Some of the most common text scams that target kids include:
- Gaming-related scams: Criminals target children with fake game rewards for popular platforms like Fortnite and Roblox, according to Colman. Scammers offer free in-game currency to harvest personal information.
- Social media scams: Colman said his firm has also seen increased social media impersonation scams. The scammer poses as a friend or influencer to trick kids into clicking malicious links.
- Friendship scams: Some text scams start with someone trying to build a relationship with your child or teenager, which they plan to leverage to extract sensitive personal information like Social Security and credit card numbers.
- Account takeover scams: Account takeover scams are a prevalent issue for teens, particularly their social media accounts, according to Scheumack. After a criminal gets you to share your login information, they take over the account and lock everyone else out. Once the scammers get in, they’ll use the account to try to steal information from friends or family, or use your information to access other accounts.
- Delivery scams: Cindi Carter, global chief information security officer at Check Point Software, said teens are especially vulnerable to delivery scams since they tend to shop online.
Carter also pointed out that deepfake audio and video are beginning to appear in scams targeting teens on social platforms. Artificial intelligence also makes phishing scams harder for teens and adults to detect since AI can write convincing text messages that sound like a real teacher, coach or friend.
“That’s why building critical thinking and ‘gut check’ instincts in kids is more important than ever,” she said. “It’s not just about spelling errors and bad grammar anymore — the scams look and sound real with AI.”
What if your kids have already given out important information?
If you discover your child has fallen for a phishing scam and shared some of their own sensitive information or yours, Colman said you’ll want to act quickly and calmly.
Start by documenting everything related to the scam, including screenshots, messages and any information shared. Then, contact your financial institutions to freeze accounts if financial information was compromised.
Update passwords across all platforms, especially for email accounts that can be used to reset other passwords. Consider a password manager to create and save complex, secure passwords.
Next, take steps to protect your credit and identity, particularly if sensitive information like names, addresses, birthdates and SSNs was shared.
“Consider placing a fraud alert with credit bureaus, even for minors, as identity thieves target children for their clean credit histories,” Colman said.
You can also freeze your child’s credit reports and your own, so that no one can open new accounts in your names, regardless of how much information they have.
Finally, make sure to report the incident to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov and to local law enforcement. You should also help your child understand what happened and why, so it doesn’t happen again.
“Use this as a learning opportunity to strengthen your family’s security practices going forward,” Colman said.
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