The most common scams — and how to spot them

You get a text or email that looks as if it comes from the post office or a delivery company: your parcel “has been held” and you need to pay a small amount, e.g. €1–3, for customs or redelivery. The link takes you to a fake page that looks exactly like the real one and asks for your card details.

The aim isn't the couple of euros, but your card number, expiry date and CVV code, which are then used for much bigger purchases. Sometimes the page also asks for the code your bank sends you by SMS — with it, the scammer links your card to their own phone.

A friend or relative — whose account has already been stolen — messages you: “I sent you a code by mistake, can you send it back?” or “Vote for me in a competition, you'll get a code”. In reality, the scammer is registering your number on their own phone, and the app sends you the verification code.

If you give them the code, the scammer takes over your account, locks you out of it and messages all your contacts asking for money or new codes. This is how the scam spreads like a chain from one phone to the next.

The scammer messages from an unknown number pretending to be your child or grandchild: their phone “fell in water”, so they have a new number. After a few warm messages comes the request: they urgently need to pay a bill or something online and their “banking app won't open”. They usually avoid calls (“I can't talk right now”) and ask for the money to go to a “friend's” account.

The newer version uses artificial intelligence: with just a few seconds of someone's voice from a social media video, scammers clone the voice of a relative and phone you crying or panicking (“I've had an accident”, “I need money now”). The voice sounds real, but the number, the rush and the request for money give the scam away.

A profile that looks like it belongs to a shop, an influencer or a well-known brand posts: “We're giving away 10 iPhones! Follow, like and tag a friend.” A little later, the “winners” get a private message: they've won, but they need to pay for delivery, enter their card details or click a link to “confirm” their account.

The fake profile's name is often almost the same as the original — one extra letter, a dot or “_official” at the end. The goal is to steal money, data or your account itself.

Videos, comments or websites promise a “generator” that gives you free Robux, V-Bucks, diamonds or rare skins. To get them, you're asked for your username and password, to download an app or a “cheat”, or to complete “human verification” with surveys and your phone number.

Generators like this don't exist. At best you waste your time; at worst you lose your account and all your items, your device gets infected with malware, or your phone number gets signed up to paid services.

Someone in a game acts like a really good friend: they play with you, help you get through levels, pay you compliments and offer you gifts — skins, Robux, V-Bucks or a “premium” account. Then the requests start: give them your password “so they can add the gift”, move to Discord, Snapchat or a private chat, keep your chats secret, or send them photos.

This is called grooming: the person builds up your trust step by step so they can take advantage of you later. It might be a scammer who wants your account, or an adult with bad intentions. If this happens to you, it's not your fault — and an adult can help you.

Someone whose profile looks like an attractive person your own age starts a friendly chat, pays you compliments and very quickly asks for private photos or a video call. Once they get a photo, or secretly record the call, they change immediately: they threaten to send it to your friends, family or school unless you pay or send more photos. Sometimes they even use fake images created with AI.

Scammers do this to lots of children at the same time, and they want to frighten you so much that you can't think clearly. It's not your fault. There is always a way out, and adults can help — including getting the content removed from the internet.

Social media pages or new websites sell branded trainers, phones, perfume or clothes at 70–90% off, often using paid ads that look professional. They ask for payment in advance by card, bank transfer or a money transfer service — and then send nothing, or send something completely different.

Often the comments are turned off or deleted, the page was set up just a few weeks ago, and there's no physical address, business number or clear returns policy.

A “recruiter” messages you about a work-from-home job: like videos on YouTube or TikTok, rate hotels or products, and earn €50–150 a day. At first they really do pay you a few euros, so that you trust them. Then they add you to a Telegram group and ask you to “deposit” money to unlock “VIP tasks” that pay more.

The earnings you see on the “dashboard” are just numbers on a screen. When you try to withdraw them, they ask for even more money for “taxes” or for the “next level”, until they disappear. Young people are sometimes asked to “lend” their bank account to move other people's money — this makes them part of a crime.

You see an ad or a “news story” in which a famous person — an athlete, singer, businessperson or politician — supposedly explains how they got rich using an investment or cryptocurrency platform. The video is often a deepfake created with AI. Once you leave your phone number, a very polite “account manager” calls you and asks for an initial deposit, usually around €250.

On the platform you see quick but fake profits, so you put in even more money, sometimes even taking out a loan. They often ask you to install a remote access program (such as AnyDesk) “to help you” — and that's how they take control of your computer and your online banking.

While you're browsing, a big window suddenly pops up, sometimes with an alarm sound, saying your computer is “locked” or “infected” and that you must call “Microsoft support” or “Apple support” straight away. On the phone, a “technician” asks you to install a remote access program, shows you fake “viruses” and asks for payment for the “repair” — or goes straight into your online banking.

Microsoft, Apple and other companies never show phone numbers in warning windows, and they never call you out of the blue about viruses.

Scammers stick fake QR codes over real ones — in car parks, at charging stations, on café menus or posters — or send them by email or post (“scan to pay”, “scan to confirm your account”). The code takes you to a fake payment or sign-in page that steals your card details and passwords, or asks you to download a harmful app.

QR codes are risky because you can't see the address before you scan — so the check happens after scanning, before you open the link.