What are scams?

A scam is when someone tricks you into giving them something valuable so they can keep it for themselves.

Imagine you're at the park playing with your favorite toy, a red ball. A nice person comes up and says, "I have a bigger, better ball! Just give me yours, and I'll show you mine." But once you hand over your red ball, they run away with it and never come back. That’s a scam!

In a scam, the person doing the trick, called a scammer, makes things sound too good to be true. They might promise you candy if you give them your toy, or say they'll give you a bigger ball right away. But once you hand over what you have, they disappear with it.

Sometimes, scams happen in real life too! Maybe someone says they're from the school and asks for your lunch money. Or maybe they pretend to be your friend’s mom to get your snacks. Just like with the red ball, if something sounds too good, or too fast, it might be a scam!

So always remember: If you’re being asked to give up something important, think carefully before you say yes!