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Scam stoppers

Learn how to recognise common financial scams, understand the emotions involved and how to protect yourself by making informed decisions.

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You’ll need

  • Pens or pencils
  • A4 paper
  • Scenario cards

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.  
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely. 
  • Make sure you have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 

Planning and setting up this activity 

  • Each card should have a scenario and four possible answers written on it. You could use the scenarios on this page.
  • Hide the scam scenario cards before the session starts.
  • Make sure not to include the actual answer on each card.
  • You may want to have a separate list of the correct answers.

Aim of the activity

The aim of this activity is to teach the young people how to recognise common financial scams, understand the emotions involved, and learn how to protect themselves by making informed decisions. Try to create a safe, open environment where the young people can ask questions or express any concerns they may have about the topic of scams.

Managing Risk and Emotions Associated with Money

  • Protecting my Money
  • Fraud and ID Theft
  • Risk and Return

Running this activity

  1. Ask everyone to get into small groups.
  2. Give each team a base, such as a cone or hoop.
  3. Explain that everyone needs to search for cards hidden in the space and bring them back to their base. They can only carry one card at a time each and should take it back to their base once found. Each card that a team finds is worth 5 points. 
  4. Give the teams several minutes to search the area and find as many cards as they can.
  5. Once you’ve finished searching, count up how many cards (and points) each team has and make a note of the score.
  6. Gather all the cards back together. 
  7. Give each team pens and paper.
  8. Read each scenario aloud to the group.
  9. Each team must decide which answer they think is correct. 
  10. The teams should then write down the answer that they think is correct. You could also get people to hold up cards with the answer on (A, B, C or D) or someone from each team could move to a corner that represents their chosen letter.
  11. For each correct answer, the team gets 2 points.
  12. After each question, tell everyone the correct answer and read out the explanation.  
  13. Make sure to keep a note of the scores. You could also give out bonus points for good listening, teamwork or communication.
  14. The team with the most points, wins.  

Scenarios

You’re playing an online game and a message pops up saying you’ve won a free gift. To claim it, you need to send £5 to unlock it. 

  1. Ignore the message and check with a trusted adult if it’s real.
  2. Send £5 to get the gift.
  3. Click on the link and type in your personal details to claim the gift.
  4. Share the message with all your friends to help them get the free gift. 

Correct answer: A

Scams often promise something ‘free’ but ask for money or personal information. Never share your details or click on links you're not sure about. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Always check with a trusted adult first.

You receive a letter from a local charity with a QR code asking you to scan it to donate money. The letter looks official. 

  1. Scan the QR code and make a donation immediately.
  2. Don’t scan the code and check with the charity to verify it’s real.
  3. Submit your mum’s bank details to the charity on the link. She’d want to support them.
  4. Share the letter with your friends to get their opinion on whether it’s a scam. 

Correct answer: B

Always make sure a letter, email, or donation request is real by checking with the sender before giving money or sharing personal details. Be careful as QR codes or buttons and links in emails can take you to fake websites that try to steal your information.

You get an email from a local company saying you’ve won £1,000 in a competition, but you don’t remember entering. You’re asked to provide your bank details to claim the prize. 

  1. Ignore the email and report it to an adult or trusted authority.
  2. Send your bank details straight away to claim your money.
  3. Reply to the email to ask for more details before sending any money.
  4. Share the email with your friends to ask if they’ve received it too. 

Correct answer: A

Real companies will never ask for private information, such as your bank details, in an email. If something seems strange or too good to be true, don’t click on any links or enter your information. If you do by mistake, always tell a trusted adult right away.

You see an offer on social media saying you can get the latest smartphone for just £10. However, you have to pay in advance and it’s only available for a limited time. 

  1. Pay the £10 and wait for the phone to arrive.
  2. Tell your friends, so they can buy the same phone with a better deal
  3. Contact the seller directly and give them your bank details.
  4. Look up reviews or search online to check if the offer is real. 

Correct answer: D

Before buying anything online, research the seller and check reviews to make sure it’s legitimate. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When in doubt, talk to a trusted adult before handing over your money or personal information.

A friend shares a post on social media asking for donations to a charity. However, the charity doesn’t have an official website or registered details. 

  1. Donate money directly to the charity via the information in the post.
  2. Contact the friend and ask if they know more about the charity, or search for it online.
  3. Share the post with your friends to increase awareness.
  4. Ignore the post and block the account that shared it. 

Correct Answer: B

Always double-check charity requests before donating. Make sure the charity has an official website and is properly registered. If you're unsure, talk to a trusted adult before giving any money or personal details.

You see get a message on social media saying you’ve won a huge prize in an online competition you don’t remember entering. To claim your prize, you’re asked to provide your personal information and pay a small processing fee. 

  1. Give your personal information and pay the fee to claim the prize.
  2. Share the post with your friends, so they can win too.
  3. Ignore the post and tell a trusted adult about it or report it to the social media platform.
  4. Reply and ask the competition organiser directly if it’s real. 

Correct Answer: C

Real contests won’t ask you to pay upfront or share personal info like your bank details to claim a prize. If you get a message that seems suspicious (especially if it pressures you to act fast or promises something amazing) stop and think.

Never click on links, download attachments, or reply with personal information. Always double-check the source and talk to a trusted adult if you’re unsure. If you’ve already clicked or shared information, let someone know right away so they can help you stay safe. 

The organiser may also be a fake profile or someone impersonating the real brand. They can’t be trusted to verify if the competition is real. 

You download a free app that promises lots of fun features. However, after you install it, you realise you need to pay for to get full access to the app. It encourages you to make small in-app purchases to unlock different features or items. 

  1. Keep making small purchases to access all the features.
  2. Close the app and delete it from your device.
  3. Share the app with your cousin. 
  4. Contact the app developer to ask for a refund on the purchases. 

Correct Answer: B

Some free apps may try to trick you into spending money or sharing personal information. Always read the app’s details and reviews before downloading, check the app permissions to see what info it can access, avoid unnecessary purchases, and ask a trusted adult if you’re unsure.

You’re shopping for a new pair of trainers online. A website offers a huge discount, but when you check the reviews, they all seem suspiciously positive. The website doesn’t have a secure connection. 

  1. Go ahead and buy the trainers because the deal looks great.
  2. Contact the website directly and ask them if the sale is legitimate.
  3. Share the link with your sibling to show them the great deal.
  4. Look up independent reviews of the website or check for secure payment methods before purchasing. 

Correct Answer: D

Always check reviews and make sure the website is secure (look for ‘https’ and a padlock) before buying anything online. You should always use safe payment methods, avoid public Wi-Fi when shopping, and if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is—when in doubt, ask a trusted adult for help.

You receive an email that looks like it’s from your bank. It says you’ve won a large cash prize. To claim it, you need to provide your bank account details. The email looks official and includes a link to what seems like the bank’s website.

  1. Ignore the email and call your bank’s official phone number to ask if it’s real.
  2. Click the link, log in to your bank account, and provide your details to claim your prize. 
  3. Forward the email to all your friends to tell them about your prize.
  4. Reply to the email and ask for more details before acting on it. 

Correct Answer: A

Real banks never ask for personal information, such as passwords, PINs or card details via text or email. If you get a message asking for this, don’t reply or click any links. Instead, contact your bank directly using a phone number or website you know is genuine. Always keep your passwords private, never share them, and use strong, unique passwords for your accounts.

You see a job post offering you a part-time job that sounds perfect for you. The message says you can start immediately and you’ll make a lot of money. However, they ask you to send money for a ‘training course’ before you can start working. 

  1. Pay the money for the training course and get ready to start your new job.
  2. Ignore the job and report it to the website/platform. 
  3. Reply to the job and ask if you can start working without paying.
  4. Forward the job offer to your friends to see if they want to apply too. 

Correct Answer: B

Real employers don’t ask you to pay money upfront to get hired. If a job offer seems suspicious or asks for money upfront, such as for a training course, talk to a trusted adult and report it right away.

This activity may touch on sensitive topics, such as food, money or food banks, which some young people or their families might be affected by. 

It’s important to create a safe, positive and supportive space where everyone feels comfortable. Let everyone know it’s okay to ask questions, say if they feel unsure, or step away at any time. Always follow the Yellow Card.

You might need to make adjustments, such as:

  • Tell people about the activity in advance
  • Offer the option to leave or do an alternative activity
  • Speak with parents or carers beforehand
  • Remind everyone they can talk to a trusted adult if they’re upset or worried

You can offer trusted support services if needed, such as Childline (0800 1111), Citizen’s Advice (0808 223 1133) and Crimestoppers (0800 555 111).

The Trussell Trust is a great place to start looking for a food bank near you. You can find details of independent food banks online. The UK Government have some debt advice support too.

Make sure that all adult volunteers and young leaders keep all discussions age-appropriate and supportive.

Reflection

This activity was all about scams. Can anyone remember what might tell us something is a scam? Often they might ask for personal details, ask us for money, be a competition we don’t remember entering, having misspellings or errors, logos that are old or don’t look right, put pressure on us to act quickly, have suspicious links or email addresses, or offer us something that sounds too good to be true.

Why do you think people might get caught out by scams? Do you think avoiding scams is easy? Sometimes it can be really tricky, especially if they’re pretending to be another company and using their profile pictures or a legitimate looking email address.

What can you do to try to avoid being caught by a scam? To stay safe from scams, always check who sent the email, don’t click on links or open attachments if you’re not sure, ask a trusted adult to help you check if the message is real, keep your passwords secret, make sure your phone or computer has the latest updates, and contact the company or person directly using official contact details to make sure the message is real.

What you should do if you think you’ve been scammed? You can tell a trusted adult, report it to the platform or tell your bank if they’ve asked for money.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

Outdoor activities

You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Scouts Money Skills Activity Badge

If you enjoyed this activity, why not try out our other HSBC money skills activities.