By Moti Shay · updated July 25, 2026
Children and teens are easy targets: they click fast, they trust messages that look like their favourite games and apps, and they don't always dare to speak up when something goes wrong. "Free" Fortnite skins or Robux, fake giveaways, buy-and-sell scams, webcam blackmail among teens — here are the real traps, and how to protect your kids while keeping their trust.
• Game "gifts": sites that promise free V-Bucks, Robux or skins in exchange for a "login" — the game account is stolen and resold. • Fake giveaways on social media: "you won, click to claim" — harvesting data or the parents' card details. • Marketplaces (Facebook, resale apps): fake buyers who send a "secure payment" link imitating the platform to steal the card. • Webcam blackmail (sextortion) among teens: an online "contact" obtains intimate images then demands money. It's a crime — police take it seriously. • Fake friend accounts: a cloned profile asks for money or a code.
A scammed child fears two things: being punished ("I told you not to click!") and losing their phone or console. If they fear your reaction, they'll handle it alone — and that's when the damage grows, especially with blackmail. The golden rule to repeat: "Whatever happens online, you can show me. You will never be punished for being tricked."
From ages 8-10: • Nothing is ever "free" in exchange for your password. • Never give a code you receive by text to anyone. • Before clicking a link you receive, ask an adult — or check it in Phishy. For teens: • A "secure payment" sent as a link inside a marketplace chat is a scam — real transactions stay inside the official app. • Never send intimate images; if blackmailed, block, screenshot, and tell an adult — the police are on your side.
Make the Phishy checker the whole family's reflex: any suspicious message or link goes into the free tool (on this page), and the answer comes in seconds — safe, suspicious or scam, explained simply. A child with a concrete tool uses it; a child who was only told "be careful" clicks anyway.
With Phishy's Family Mode, you connect your child's phone (openly, with their consent) and you're alerted only when a dangerous message is detected — without reading their conversations. It's a safety net, not spying: they keep their privacy, you're warned when it truly matters. For a teen, that difference changes everything.
1. Game account stolen: change the password, turn on two-step verification, contact the game's support. 2. Card details used: block the card immediately. 3. Blackmail/sextortion: never pay, keep the evidence (screenshots), block, and report it. File a police report; child-protection helplines support underage victims. 4. Above all: praise your child for telling you. That's what protects them next time.
Immediately change the game account's password (and any account using the same one), turn on two-step verification, and contact the game's support to recover the account.
That's exactly what Phishy's Family Mode is for: you're alerted only when a dangerous message is detected — the content of their chats stays private.
Never. Paying leads to more demands. Keep the evidence, block, report, and file a police report. The images are rarely actually shared.
As soon as the child has independent screen access — around age 8. Keep it simple: "nothing free in exchange for your password, and show me any weird message."
Paste it into the free Phishy checker on this page: it follows the link to its real destination and tells you in seconds whether it's dangerous.