Online Scams Targeting Young People: What They Look Like and How to Avoid Them

Why Young People Are Targeted

The idea that online scammers primarily target older people is outdated. Research from consumer protection organisations and banks consistently shows that young people, including teenagers, are among those most frequently victimised by online fraud. Several factors contribute to this. Young people tend to be highly active online, sharing personal information across multiple platforms. They may have less experience with financial fraud and may be less sceptical about online opportunities that seem genuine. They are also more likely to be seeking income, status in online communities, and romantic or social connection, all of which scammers exploit.

Understanding the specific scam types that target young people is the most effective form of protection.

Gaming Scams

Gaming is one of the primary environments where young people encounter scams, because games and their associated economies are central to teenage social life and the scams are carefully designed to fit naturally into that context.

Free currency and item scams: Websites, social media accounts, and in-game messages offer free premium currency, rare items, or account upgrades. To claim them, the young person is asked to log in through a link (which harvests their credentials), complete surveys (which collect personal data and generate revenue for scammers), or download software (which may be malware). Legitimate games do not give away premium currency through third-party sites.

Account trading scams: Marketplaces where players buy and sell accounts with rare items or high rankings are common in games like Counter-Strike and Fortnite. Scammers pose as legitimate sellers, take payment, and disappear without transferring the account, or use chargeback fraud to retrieve payment after the transfer is complete.

Boosting scams: Services offering to improve a player's rank by playing on their account are frequently either scams (taking payment and doing nothing) or security risks (taking the account details and keeping or selling the account).

Social Media Scams

Giveaway fraud: Fake accounts impersonating celebrities, influencers, or brands run giveaway promotions requiring followers to like, share, provide their details, or pay a small fee to claim a prize. No prize exists. The engagement generated benefits the scam account, and any details or money provided are simply stolen.

Impersonation and financial requests: Scammers hack or clone the accounts of people a teenager actually knows and then send them direct messages asking for money, gift cards, or account details, claiming to be in an emergency. The message comes from a familiar name and profile picture, which makes it convincing.

Investment and money-flipping schemes: Posts promising to turn small amounts of money into large returns through investment or money-flipping schemes are almost always fraudulent. Young people are targeted with these on Instagram and TikTok in particular, sometimes through people they follow who have themselves been recruited as unwitting promoters.

Romance Scams

Romance scams, sometimes called catfishing for financial gain, involve someone developing what appears to be a genuine romantic or close friendship relationship with a teenager online before eventually requesting money. The person may claim to need funds for a flight to meet them, for a medical emergency, for a business problem, or any number of invented crises. The relationship can be maintained for weeks or months before the request comes, which makes it very difficult to identify as fraudulent from inside it.

Artificial intelligence tools have made romance scams significantly more sophisticated: AI-generated profile pictures, voices, and video calls are increasingly used to make fake personas convincing.

Job and Income Scams

Teenagers seeking income are targeted with job offers that are either fraudulent or that involve the young person unknowingly participating in illegal activity:

Money mule recruitment: Scammers recruit young people to receive money into their bank accounts and forward it elsewhere, keeping a percentage as payment. This is money laundering. Young people who participate are committing a criminal offence, often without fully understanding it, and face serious legal consequences. Legitimate employers never ask employees to receive and forward funds through personal accounts.

Fake influencer opportunities: Offers to become a brand ambassador or paid content creator, requiring an upfront payment for a starter kit or training, are a common scam targeting aspiring social media creators. Legitimate brand partnerships do not require upfront payment from the creator.

Phishing Targeted at Young People

Phishing messages targeted at teenagers typically arrive through the channels they use most: gaming platforms, social media direct messages, and SMS. Common lures include notifications that an account has been compromised (requiring urgent login through a link), prize notifications, and messages appearing to be from platform support teams.

The key identifier of phishing is always the same: a request to click a link and enter credentials, or to provide personal or financial information. Legitimate platforms will never request this through unsolicited messages.

What to Do If You Have Been Scammed

If money has been sent to a scammer, contact your bank immediately. Many banks have fraud recovery processes, and the sooner you report, the better the chance of recovery. If account credentials have been compromised, change passwords immediately and enable two-factor authentication. Report the scam to the relevant platform and to national consumer or cybercrime reporting services. If you have been unwittingly involved in money mule activity, seeking legal advice early is important.

Being scammed is not a source of shame. Scammers are professionals who have often refined their techniques extensively. Tell a trusted adult if you are unsure what to do next.

Conclusion

Online scams targeting young people are sophisticated, varied, and specifically designed to fit the online environments teenagers inhabit. The most effective protection is recognising the common patterns: offers that seem too good to be true, requests for credentials through links, pressure to act quickly, and requests for money or gift cards in unexpected contexts. When something triggers uncertainty, pausing and checking with a trusted adult before acting is always the right move.