25 April 2026
by OVD-Info
Source: OVD-Info
In the last year, the Russian authorities have been actively combatting fraud. Allegedly for this reason Roskomnadzor (The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media. – trans.) removed the voice call function from WhatsApp and Telegram. But no matter what the state does, the criminals keep coming up with new schemes – increasingly their victims are children and teenagers.
The danger these schemes pose is not just the obvious risk of financial loss. The worse-case scenario is if the criminals succeed in luring children into illegal activity. We believe the OVD-Info motto, ‘Knowledge protects’, applies here: awareness can save dozens of families money, time, stress and even freedom. Therefore, we have collaborated with the independent journalists’ cooperative Bereg (meaning ‘shore’ or ‘coast’. – trans.) to create a wide-ranging set of instructions. This email is a kit to understand the fundamental risks and to provide structural safety for your child. You can save it somewhere and refer back to it later.
We know not all our readers have children, but if you have friends whose children may be at risk from fraudsters or you know a teenager who you might be able to warn, please read this anyway and give it to anyone whom it may help.
And you can forward this to people you know with children or ask them to sign up to our mailing list, more people will be given knowledge to protect.
Part 1: How fraudsters operate
You don’t just need to warn children of the danger, you need to understand yourself how exactly fraudsters try to trick people. When children understand the logic fraudsters use they will be much more able to recognise risks.
Five common scams:
- Children are offered the answers to exam question papers like school exams and leaving exams. They say you need to click a link or download a file to a phishing website or to download malware.
- Teenagers receive a phone call or a text from people pretending to be teachers, school employees or working for the exam board. They tell the teenager they urgently need to register or update their details by telling them a phone code or clicking a link. They are actually trying to gain access to personal details or bank accounts belonging to their parents.
- They offer the teenagers the chance to ‘earn easy money’. For example, by entering bank account details and receiving a bank transfer, and to send it on elsewhere. This seems like a simple side hustle, but in reality it incriminates them in illegal financial activities.
- A separate category of fraud happens in online gaming. Children can be promised free bonuses, rare items, in-game currency and access to secret servers. They end up either losing their account or exposing their computer to malware.
- Fraud to ‘save’ family members. A child is told that their close ones are in danger and urgently need money. In recent years, fraudsters have increasingly been using deepfake technology or hacked accounts to make these scams more convincing.
Why this is especially dangerous
Fraudsters don’t just pose a risk to your money and personal data. There have been cases where children have been lured into criminal activity like money laundering or sabotage.
The age of criminal responsibility for some of these actions is 14. The teenager might not even be aware they are committing a crime because these scams are often dressed up as innocent activities or side hustles.
Part 2: How to tell children what to look out for
Fraudsters almost invariably use psychological pressure, so you need to teach the child to recognise not just the scam itself, but the fraudsters’ behaviour.
For example, it is a red flag if someone is being hurried and ordered to act quickly without being given time to consider. It is also a red flag is the fraudster tells the child to keep their conversation a secret or tries to scare them with the consequences if they say no.
Another important red flag is if the fraudsters pretend to be figures of authority. They might try to pass themselves off as police officers or school or bank employees to make their demands more convincing.
It is especially important to make sure the child understands that real police officers would never contact young people and give them orders, even less so orders to do with money or personal data.
Part 3: The fundamentals of safety
The best way to do this is by agreeing on simple and easily understandable things you can return to regularly.
The child must understand they are not required to answer phone calls from unknown numbers and can end a suspicious conversation at any point without consequence. In such a situation, it would be safe to tell them to call your parents.
It is equally important that the child agrees not to click unknown links, download files or share passwords or codes sent by text. These are the most fundamental parts of digital safety.
It is also necessary to tell the child never to enter discussions online with people they don’t know or agree to meet them in person. Any personal information such as address, school or financial information must remain confidential.
Universal steps
In alarming or doubtful situations, the child must understand these simple and clear steps:
- Take time to think and don’t make any hurried decisions.
- Contact parents or other close adults as quickly as possible.
- Use trusted channels to verify information, for example calling parents or the school, and only then to make decisions.
Another security measure is a family code word or phrase known only to close ones. It will help to verify the authenticity of urgent messages allegedly from relatives.
Part 4: Psychology and the role of parents
Without family trust, the most effective rules for safety won’t work. The child needs to feel they can turn to them for help at any time and won’t be met with accusations or punishment.
Regular calm discussions about safety, displaying interest in the child’s life and spending time together all create trusting relationships. It is important to not just warn of the risks but discuss real-life situations, share your experiences and to ask questions.
But you also need to take their age into account. Young children are naturally more trusting, which is normal for their development. Teenagers, meanwhile, are always striving for attention and can make risky decisions for the sake of gaining approval or group belonging.
Red flags
Children may not always speak directly about their problems, but their behaviour may change. Signals demanding action include a more secretive usage of telephones, asking out-of-the-ordinary questions about money, heightened anxiety or sharp changes in mood.
It is also a warning signal if a child begins to avoid using gadgets or, conversely, spends an abnormally large amount of time using them. These changes do not necessarily mean they are the victims of fraudsters, but they always warrant an attentive and caring conversation with the child or teenager.
Part 5: Staying safe online
Without family trust, the most effective rules for safety won’t work. The child needs to feel they can turn to them for help at any time and won’t be met with accusations or punishment.
What you should do:
Enable parental control measures on your child’s devices, limit the ability to download apps without parental consent and enable text messages when accounts are accessed.
On messaging services, social media platforms and email, enable two-factor authentication and use secure passwords. All of this will protect your account from hacking.
Limit the number of contacts on your teenager’s messaging platforms, and also hide personal information on there.
But you need to have a balanced approach. An overbearing level of control may make the child more likely to hide their online activities and less likely to approach someone for help in a difficult situation. So if you take any steps above or ones similar to them, you should have an honest discussion with your child about why you are doing it.
Part 6: Financial safety
If the teenager has a bank card, it is important to discuss with them and enable spending limits and to track their spending patterns. Parents should enable a text messages with every financial transaction and to occasionally check the bank statements.
Equally as important is to explain to the child that it may be dangerous to give bank card details or make transactions to strangers and could have serious consequences. This is especially true in cases when they are offered side-hustles.
Part 7: What to do it a child does fall victim to a scam
If you do find out your child has been the victim of scammers, you have to act calmly and quickly.
Cut off all contact with the scammers and save all possible documentary evidence relating to the fraud, including written correspondence, voice and video messages and records of phone calls.
Block bank cards, SIM cards and bank accounts if the fraudsters may have access to them.
If necessary, check devices for malware by going to a specialist.
Legal steps
If this does happen to you, it is extremely important not to face it alone. We advise you to get in touch with a trusted lawyer as soon as possible who can take a look at the situation and the course of action to take with him – including telling the Investigative Committee of the case in cases where children have been tricked.
Most important is support
A child who has fallen victim to fraud may experience serious stress, guilt and shame. Sometimes they may not even fully understand how it happened.
Here, it is crucial you don’t blame them and you show them you are on their side. Support and a feeling of safety will help to solve the situation quicker and reduce the risk of further incidents in the future.
If you need help:
OVD-Info will help you find a lawyer and understand the situation better:
📞 8-800-707-05-28
📩 in**@*****fo.org
🤖 https://t.me/OvdInfoBot
We understand that such issues may cause alarm, but being informed and having calm conversations will be your best protection. Save this email, discuss it with close ones and refer to it in future if you need to.
Take care of yourself and yours,
In solidarity,
The OVD-Info Team
Translated by Oscar Seecharan
