🔒 Safety & Risk Management

How to Teach Kids to Spot Scam Emails and Fake Websites

Q: How to Teach Kids to Spot Scam Emails and Fake Websites

The simple rule 'if it's too good to be true or rushes you, assume it's a scam' works against the vast majority of scams.

A.The simple rule "if it's too good to be true or rushes you, assume it's a scam" works against the vast majority of scams.

Phishing scams, fake websites, and fraudulent invoices — once children have a smartphone, they face the risk of encountering these. Teaching with real examples makes the lesson stick.

Red flags of scam emails and fake sites: ① Excessive rewards like "You've won ○○ yen!" or "Your prize is waiting." ② Urgency phrases like "Click now before it disappears" or "Act within 24 hours." ③ URLs that look almost like legitimate services but are slightly off (e.g., amaz0n.co.jp instead of amazon.co.jp). ④ Unnatural Japanese text that reads like machine translation.

How to explain it to children: "If you really won something, they wouldn't need to rush you. Legitimate things wait. If it's rushing you, it's a fake." A rule like "Show me before you click" is also effective.

A practical exercise: Print out a fictional scam email and play a quiz game — "What's wrong with this?" Even elementary school children can learn while having fun. IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency) offers scam case study materials on their website.

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