The Gift With a Catch

What your kid learns

• Online isn’t always true

  People online aren’t always who they say they are. Some offer free coins, outfits or gift cards. Those gifts usually come with a catch. It might be a favor, a photo or your info.

• Codes are keys

  A code sent to a phone is a key to an account. Never share it. Not even if someone says, “I sent it by mistake.”

• Hiding is a red flag

  Being asked to hide something from grown-ups is a big red flag. You won’t get in trouble for telling. Telling is what detectives do.

The story: The Case of the Free Outfit

On a big phone screen, Amara gets a free-outfit offer from someone known only online, spots two red flags and decides to tell a grown-up.

1. Helper: Inbox case, detectives! Amara has a new message.
2. Amara: An online player says, “Want a free outfit? It’s a gift!”
3. Amara: Then it says, “Just tell me your address. Don’t tell your grown-ups.”
4. Kid: Red flag one: a gift from someone you only know online.
5. Kid: Red flag two: asking you to hide it from grown-ups.
6. Amara: I won’t answer. I’ll show a grown-up right now.
7. Helper: You won’t get in trouble for telling. Telling is what detectives do.
8. Helper: Case closed! Online gift or code ask? Stop and tell.

The game: Inbox Case

Read each pretend message. Pick what a detective would do.

Games use pretend money and work with taps or a keyboard. Nothing is timed.

New words

verification code

a private code that unlocks an account

Also called: one-time passcode

red flag

a clue that something is wrong

online-only friend

someone you know only from the internet

Questions at the end

• What is a code sent to a phone for?
• Why is “Don’t tell your grown-ups” a red flag?
• Someone you only know online offers free coins. What’s the first move?

Remember this

Online gift or code ask? Stop and tell.

Talk about it

Tell your kid they’ll never be in trouble for showing you a weird message, and mean it.

Try it at home: Make a family rule card

1. With a grown-up, make a family rule card.
2. Write: “Codes stay private.”
3. Write: “Online gifts get shown to a grown-up.”
4. Put the card where your family can see it.

This whole mission is free. No account or app needed.

For grown-ups: live facts

• Report online scams

  Source: ReportFraud.ftc.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Report online exploitation of a child

  Source: NCMEC CyberTipline(opens in a new tab)

School standards

• National Standards for Personal Financial Education: Managing Risk