If you’re a parent, you know how hard it is to know everything your child is doing on the Internet. Many kids find a lot of online games with their friends to play after school and chat via the game’s online chat services. There’s one game, in particular, that has risen in popularity over the years, and that video game is called Roblox. This game allows you to build anything you want, from mini-games, virtual worlds, to just a basic house. Even if you don’t like building things online or aren’t interested in designing a mini-game, you can still create an account to explore the different worlds with your friends. However, scammers know just how popular this game has become and will do anything to trick your kids out of their account or Robux. Here are some ways you can help your child avoid Roblox scams.
Types of Roblox Scams to Watch Out For
Phishing Scams
Scammers either put a pop-up on your kid’s screen or links in the chat bar, telling them that if they click on the link they can get free Robux or other in-game items. They are then taken to some phishing website that will either infect your device with malware or try and steal your child’s Roblox account.
If they fell for the phishing attack, there could be a chance that they went on a malicious website. This website tells them to download something in order to get free Robux or other resources for their game. However, once they download that file, the program infects your device with malware that steals your data, including stored usernames, passwords, personal information, and banking information.
Also on phishing websites, scammers lure your children in with free in-game items and tell them that all they need to do is enter their username and password if they want it. The information is then sent to the scammer so that they can hack into your child’s account.
Fake Maintenance Scam
A pop-up appears claiming that maintenance needs to be done to the website. It then says to continue playing, you need to log-in and enter your username and password. What your children don’t know is that this is a fake log-in page that gives scammers their log-in details so that they can steal their accounts.
When is Roblox actually under maintenance?
- When there is an orange bar on top of your screen
- When there is a red bar, which means you can’t play Roblox until maintenance is done.
- It usually happens when children are at school or in the middle of the night so no one is inconvenienced.
Bot Scams
Scammers can create bots, which are automated programs that do the tasks the scammers programmed them to do. These bots are programmed to create a fake account on Roblox and get as many children as they can to click the phishing links which “supposedly” get them free Robux. The more bots that do this and the more bots the scammer has, the more money the scammer makes.
Catfishing Scams
A scammer can pretend to be a child with a Roblox account and befriend your child. Once your child’s trust is gained by the scammer, they then ask them to click on links to get free Robux. Since your child trusts their so-called “friend”, they listen to the scammer. Unfortunately, this link either steals your child’s account information or installs malware on their device.
How to Avoid Roblox Scams
- Enable two-step verification on your child’s account. That way you know whenever someone else is trying to access their account since it sends a 6-digit code to your text messages or emails every time your child logs in to their account on a new device.
- Create a stronger password. Hackers can guess your child’s password by using software or through data breaches. Therefore, it is always important to teach your child not to give their password to anyone online or any of their friends. Make sure the password is strong enough so that no one can easily guess it.
- Don’t click on any random links. Teach your child not to fall for free Robux scams that require you to click a link. It can cause your device to be infected with malware or for your child’s Roblox account to be stolen. Also, teach them to look at the link and make sure it’s familiar and everything is spelled correctly before clicking on it.
- Make sure to sign out of your account when using a public computer. You never know who will be using the computer after you.
- Make sure your child’s messaging settings are set to their friends only. This will allow them to only see what their friends are sending them so that they aren’t tempted to interact with a scammer.
- Teach your children about catfishing. Not everyone on Roblox is who they say they are, and your child needs to know that. Don’t believe everyone online who says they are 12-years-old, because they could be lying about their age or identity to get something from them.
- Report any suspicious activity to the Roblox team. Tell your child to report anyone who is making them uncomfortable or sending them random links on Roblox.
- Don’t enter your log-in information anywhere else unless its the official Roblox home page. If another page is asking for your log-in information, chances are it’s a fake log-in page and a scammer is trying to steal your information.
Social Catfish is Here to Help with Roblox Scams!
At Social Catfish, we verify someone’s identity with only a tiny bit of information given to us through our reverse search bar. All we need is their name, email address, phone number, social media username, or image to see who was really talking to your child on Roblox.