Scams and risks in games and online communities

Where the risks are

Gaming platforms, chat channels and social apps host strangers, trading and in-game currency. Scammers use what children value most: free items, status and friendship.

Common scams and tricks

• Free items or currency: fake giveaways and “free” offers for in-game currency or skins that ask for a login, a verification code or a download.
• Account takeover: fake login pages, or “support staff” who ask for passwords. A stolen account can lose its items, its progress and its saved payment details.
• Trading and boosting: offers to swap items or boost accounts, often with a request to pay first.
• Moving the chat: a stranger asks to continue on a different app, where contact is harder to see or stop.
• Pressure to spend: time-limited offers, loot boxes and small purchases that add up.
• Impersonation: fake friends or staff using copied names and profile pictures.

Practical steps for families

1. Turn on two-factor sign-in for game accounts and for the email address linked to them.
2. Never share passwords, login codes or recovery codes, including with people who say they are staff.
3. Use the platform’s own tools: spending limits, purchase approval, and privacy settings for chat and friend requests.
4. Download apps and buy currency only from official stores and official sites.
5. Agree a rule for in-game purchases, and review the store or bank statements together.
6. Treat unexpected “support” messages as suspicious, and check them through the official app or site.

Talk about it

Ask your child what they have been offered, and by whom. Explain that a real friend or a real support team does not need a password. If a child has already shared a password or paid for something, that is a mistake that can usually be fixed. Tell you quickly, so you can act together.

If an account has been taken over

1. Change the password from the official site, not through a link you were sent.
2. Turn on two-factor sign-in, and check the linked email address and recovery options.
3. Report the account to the platform, and ask for help recovering any items or purchases.
4. Contact your bank if payment details were used, and ask them about reversing charges.
5. Check the friends list and messages for anything sent from the account, and warn those contacts.

Watch for moves to other apps

Gaming chat is often the first step. When a stranger suggests a private chat on another app, treat it as a warning sign and talk with your child. The pattern is covered in signs of online grooming.

If a scam has led to blackmail, threats or requests for images, follow the steps in what is sextortion, and report it to the authorities. For financial fraud, contact your bank. For urgent support, see the help now directory.