Recent surveys reveal that almost 1.5 million children in Australia have been targeted by scammers over the past two years.
Research from Finder indicates that in the last year alone, 20% of parents acknowledged their children had been scammed, with an additional 4% noting incidents over the past two years.
In many cases, parental intervention was crucial in safeguarding children, as 10% of parents reported they had to step in to prevent their kids from falling victim to scams.
Approximately 11% of these scams were conducted through technology, including phone calls, social media, and email, while nearly 10% involved face-to-face interactions.
Children are prime targets for scammers due to their limited ability to recognize red flags and insufficient knowledge of such risks.
Sarah Megginson from Finder emphasized the alarming trend, stating, “Scammers are now targeting minors, which is a major concern for parents.”
“Children don’t necessarily have the experience to spot red flags, so they can be more vulnerable to falling for these tricks.”
Megginson said it’s crucial that parents educate their kids about the risks of scams, especially when they are being introduced to technology and social media for the first time.
“Simple steps like setting up parental controls, monitoring their online activity, and teaching kids to be careful who they interact with online can go a long way in keeping them safe,” she said.
“Just making them aware of how common scams are and sharing with them examples in the news can help make them more aware of the dangers.”
