How to avoid a scam game? Parental guide for kids

The industry of video games has survived and thrived since the pandemic era. People tend to interact with others through remote cameras. Even in the post-pandemic period, video games occupy a large share of the entertainment market. However, how to avoid a scam game leads to growing concern at the same time.

What should parents know about a scam game?

Scam games are the side effects of a prosperous game industry. The coronavirus changes social distance and lifestyle almost in all walks of life. Scamming, phishing, stalking, etc., have transformed their operations from offline to online. Hackers and malicious people take advantage of social media and online games to hunt victims. Some hackers directly produce games to carry out illegal activities.

Why do people scam online?

First, the Internet has the features of anonymity and encryption. So, scamming online is more undetectable and untraceable.

Second, cases of telecom fraud take place in transnational cyberspace. Under this condition, though the police can find the scam, tracing and legal punishment will be the hardest part for law enforcement.

Third, people in modern life lack awareness of privacy protection. They often carelessly give out their personal information, like their real name, address, phone number, and so on.

Is scamming in online games illegal?

As a matter of fact, not only scam games and those scamming in games are immoral, but they are illegal conduct. Those who perpetrate online scamming may face theft, fraud, or other criminal charges under the law.

Examples of gaming scams

Here are some examples that parents should know, not only for themselves but also for their loved ones.

• Unknown link:

In the game, do not trust some unknown links. Once you click a malicious link, the hacker can record your IP, making your device exposed and vulnerable to attacks.

• Fishing for money:

When you enter a game, the registration process may be too easy to be normal, but when you start to play this game, the game starts by asking for very personal information like your bank card number, password, or other payment authorization.

• Inconsistent version:

The normal game version in which you can play with other players is often the latest version. The scam game often uses a tampered version different from the official version. The hacker can embed malware, ransomware, and trojans in the scam game.

• Bothering pop-up notification:

Greedy for profit, the developers of a scam game can plug many inappropriate and irrelevant pieces of information into the game interface. For this purpose, they often use explicit and exaggerated titles to make the content catchy. These pop-up notifications and bothersome modules can be annoying. Worse still, if you click it, an unknown software or app will be automatically downloaded.

Of course, there are other examples of scam games. In the next sector, we will explore the risks of these games.

Why online gaming is high risk?

Of course, online gaming is one of the most prevalent areas of scamming.

Parents should know that there are not only scammers in games but also other potential dangers for children.

The dangers of online games

Game addition: Children who devote too much time to video games will get addicted to them. Game additions can cause harm to both their mental and physical health. What’s worse, myopia, fatigue, solitude, and insomnia will beset them all the time.

Leakage of privacy: Due to the lack of online knowledge and protection, children will find it hard to judge the official websites and legal platforms. Next, they often use social media apps and feel overconfident enough to believe strangers. All these could lead to the leakage of personal information.

Money loss: Children often lack self-control while making a purchase. Besides, game operators often induce consumption in games. So, children may be prone to wasting their money on games.

Cyberbully: This phenomenon is not rare among teens and younger children, especially in competitive games. Game players sometimes lose control and humiliate or curse other players.

Blackmail and extortion: The leakage of personal information can lead to painful repercussions. The hackers or thieves might capitalize on the information to blackmail or extort children for money or other advantages.

How to tell if a game is a scam?

Actually, every game needs to pass formal censorship before being displayed on the official websites or game platforms. For example, Steam is one of the biggest online game retail platforms in the world. As long as you open any game page on Steam, you can see the title, developer, publisher, rating, description, requirements, etc. All this information gives you a holistic overview of a game. You can judge whether it is a scam game and whether it is suitable for your children’s ages.

By contrast, if you find a game doesn’t have relative information like its official site, developer, ratings, or other authorization documents, you need to be rather cautious. Check to see if there are any reviews of other players. If not, probably this game could be a fake game, even a scam game.

There are other characteristics of a scam game that you should pay attention to:

Scam games are purposely designed to allure players and deceive them with money, possessions, or personal information. These games often give players false promises, like high repayment.

In addition, a scam game is often easy to register for without email or authorization, like the normal apps.

Furthermore, a scam game can plug in many ads, illegal programs, and unhealthy content. These not only impact users’ experiences but also do harm to the device’s durability and performance.

How to protect your kids from a scam game?

This topic can be the topmost question on parents’ minds. In the next part, we will offer the methods to protect your family safety.

Tips for protection against a scam game

1. Try a VPN: The full name of a VPN is “Virtual Private Network.” This kind of app is often easy to install and configure. You can use it as an extra layer of protection in a game transaction.
2. Check the censorship content: The official website of a game or the introduction on the retail platform usually has the description and ratings. This can help you decide whether this game is suitable for your kids.
3. Set time limits: You can make a schedule for your kids. This will help them form healthy Internet habits. We recommend you use some parental controls on cell phones, like FlashGet Kids, Bark, and Aura.
4. Don’t easily trust the lottery in a game: Some scam games may attract children with lottery prizes. This can lead to the leakage of personal information and money loss.
5. Check their friends and chat history: From time to time, parents should check their children’s friend lists and chat history. You have a duty to protect your kids from any suspicious person.
6. Try not to download games from pop-up ads or unknown websites: The pop-up notifications and ads often lead you to the wrong site. Worse still, the unknown website may provide the tampered versions. These malwares could damage your device system and steal personal information.
7. Play with your child: If you really want to have fun with your child, why not play with them? There are many video games suitable for parent-child interaction.

Safest ways to download games online

If you want to find the safest ways to download games on your PC or cell phone, the methods below are highly recommended:

Go to the games’ official websites to download games. The official website usually has the latest version of a game. Additionally, you can find walkthroughs, communities, and other resources.

On authoritative platforms like Steam, Epic Games, EA Games, and UPLAY, games on these platforms need to pass authorization and censorship. From time to time, these platforms roll out discount sales.

Go to the authoritative platforms on cell phones, like App Store and Google Play. Without doubt, the official app store will provide the latest version.

What can you do if falling to victim of online game scams?

On the condition that you find some abnormal activities happening in your game account or your devices, you can try the following tips for security:

• Change your game account password from time to time.
• Turn off pop-up ads.
• Turn off sharing information.
• Tell your friends don’t follow the suspicious.
• Install anti-virus software and applications.
• Unbind your game account with a bank card or other payment method.
• Uninstall suspicious software or applications on your devices.

If an online scam really happens to you, we advise you to take the following steps:

• First, stop any interaction or contact with the scammer.
• Second, save all the evidence, like chat history, images, videos, and other materials.
• Third, you can submit a report to the platform to shut down the game and block the fraudster’s account.
• Forth, change the password for your account and bank card.
• Fifth, if the situation gets worse and the criminal has stolen your money or important information, you can call the police to deal with the problem.

If a scam game or the scammer in a game really causes financial damages or pressure in your or your kids’ lives, you can file a suit against the legal person, the developers, or a relative. Make sure that you have read and learned the relative terms and regulations.

This could be a long-term and complicated process. We advise you to consult some professional lawyers.

Final words

From this article, you can learn an overview of scam games, how to judge them, and how to find official games. Moreover, you can learn how to protect yourself and your family from the harm of scammers.

FAQs about scam games