How scammers deceive children through mobile apps and games: the most common schemes

In Ukraine, scammers are using mobile games to try to scam children out of their parents' money. Criminals resort to various schemes, through which unsuspecting Ukrainians lose considerable funds.

According to the cyberpolice project to counter Russian propaganda BRAMA, scammers can ask a child to make a small money transfer through an adult's banking application, assuring that this amount will be returned.

Also, one of the most common fraud schemes is asking children to take a photo of their parents' bank card from both sides, or to forward a code from an SMS message received on their phone. In addition, scammers create fake games or fake updates for popular games. They send messages via email or instant messengers, disguising them as official appeals from the game administration.

“They offer favorable terms, such as free access to premium features. As a result, the child may subscribe to a paid service, believing it to be free. This leads to regular debits from the account, which may remain unnoticed by parents until significant losses occur,” the authors of the project emphasize.

That is why, BRAMA emphasizes, it is important to teach children simple rules of digital security, explain why financial and personal data should not be transferred to third parties, and how to avoid such fraudulent schemes.