SAFER INTERNET DAY 2025
Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online
Safer Internet Day
11th February 2025
- Supporter registration
- Education resources
- Quiz for 11-14 year olds
- Quiz for 7-11 year olds
- Quiz for 14-18 year olds
- Quiz for 3-7 year olds
- Tips for Parents and Carers
- Tips for 7-11 year olds
- Tips for 11-14s
- Tips for 14-18s
Top Tips
Top Tips 7-11 year olds
Use these tips to help you stay safe from scams online and enjoy your time learning, playing and chatting with others.
Look for signs that something online cannot be trusted
Ever seen something online that seems too good to be true? This probably means it can’t be trusted. If someone messages you out of the blue, or is asking for money or personal information, they may be trying to scam you.
Look out for these warning signs and ask a trusted adult if you think you’ve spotted a scam online.
Use a secure password
Your password is like the key to your front door, you shouldn’t share it with other people. Make sure to use a password that is hard to guess. It shouldn’t contain any personal information and is best when it’s a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols.
Combining random words can help make more memorable passwords if you’re worried about forgetting it!
Think carefully about when and where you share your personal information
Personal information is all the details that could help someone work out who you are and includes your name, address, school, passwords and more. Sometimes you have to share your personal information, like when you’re setting up a new online account, but some people will also try to steal these details.
Never share your personal information with other players or users online, and don’t enter your details on websites or forms without speaking to a trusted adult first.
Not everyone online can be trusted, including in games
You may enjoy playing games online with other people, but remember that not everyone you chat with can be trusted. If you only know someone from the internet, make sure your chat stays on safe topics, like the game you’re playing together. If someone asks you to chat with them privately or on a different app, be careful as this could be a sign they’re trying to trick you.
If a player offers you an amazing trade, but won’t use the trade tool in the game, they may be trying to steal from you. Only trade in games using the official trading tools.
Ask for help, including if you want to make an online purchase
Being targeted by a scam is never your fault and it’s always okay to ask for help. Speak to trusted adults like your parents, grandparents, teachers, or club leaders if something goes wrong online or if you see something that you’re not sure about.
Remember, if you want to buy something online, you should always ask first to make sure you have permission and the money to do so!
Our top scams to look out for
Unofficial game trades
Playing games online is lots of fun and one of the best ways to relax and spend time with friends. Young people often tell us how they like saving up or competing for the best items, skins and upgrades.
Trading with other players can be a helpful way to collect items you don’t already have or to progress in the game, but not every trade works out well! If you’re offered a trade, think about whether it’s a fair swap and how you’ll feel afterwards. Once the trade is made, you can’t take it back and you don’t want to be left feeling cheated.
Always make trades using the official in-game tools or functions. This means that you can see exactly what you’re trading and that both players in the trade have to stick to what they agreed.
If someone wants to trust trade with you, or asks you to trade outside of the game, this can be a sign of a scam. They may steal your item and not give you anything in return. It’s always safest not to trade in this way.
Phishing
A little bit like fishing, phishing is when a scammer ‘hooks’ somebody in by pretending to be a company or organisation.
Have you ever had an email or text message that says it’s from a well-known company, but looks a bit weird? Maybe the email address is wrong, or you spot a spelling mistake in the message. These are phishing messages.
Phishing messages are trying to collect your personal information, like passwords, phone numbers, email addresses or bank details. They might ask you directly for this information or they might ask you to click a link. The link will take you to a fake website or download a virus on to your device.
Phishing can happen through phone calls, emails, texts, messages in games, social media or fake websites. If you spot something you think might be phishing, tell a trusted adult and together you can report it.
Forward phishing emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
Forward phishing texts to 7726