CHAPTER ONE
Two weeks ago…
“Welcome back to Mornings with Sam and Jane.We have a story now that will be of interest to every parent, grandparent, or even you as an individual.If you own a phone, computer, or tablet and connect to the internet regularly to do your daily tasks, whether it be shopping, paying bills or just browsing, this story will be of interest to you.”
“That’s right, Sam.I had an opportunity recently to meet with several parents who had fraudulent charges on their credit cards due to their children downloading games proclaiming to be free, and then charging hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.
“In other instances, women who bought clothing items from supposed retailers who were not e-Verified, later received credit card statements for thousands and thousands of dollars.My investigation led me to some interesting discoveries as you’ll see from this clip.”
“Significant fear and concern exist regarding the impact of technology on children, focusing on excessive screen time, exposure to inappropriate content, and screen addiction. Key worries include impaired social skills, reduced attention spans, increased aggression from violent games, mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, and something we hear all too often, cyberbullying.
“Mental & Physical Health is jeopardized when excessive screen time happens.It is linked to obesity, sleep deprivation, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety.Experts are concerned with content exposure with children, even young ones, often encountering inappropriate, violent, or dangerous content online.
“These situations can happen with children as young as three and four, when left unsupervised with devices that they somehow have already learned to use, navigate, and search.Something as simple as typing in their own name or a word like ‘car’ or ‘cat’ can open the window of every parent’s nightmare.
“Dr. Judith Maxwell spoke to us regarding concerns about behavioral and cognitive Issues, as well as social and emotional development.”
Dr. Judith Maxwell
“Concerns include poor school performance, lack of attention, irritability, and decreased empathy.Constant digital interaction can hinder real-world social skills, promote loneliness, and lead to bullying.This is obviously a concern for every person in the medical or psychological fields, teaching, counseling, and of course just being a parent.And I haven’t even begun to touch on gaming addictions.”
“Dr. Maxwell stated that concerns are high regarding excessive time spent on video games, with eighty-five percent of all games containing violence that is inappropriate for children under the age of eighteen.
“She went on to tell me that implementing strict screen time schedules and tech-free zones, for examples bedrooms or the kitchen table, is the first step in helping children create boundaries.Using parental controls and monitoring social media/app usage is also key in mitigating the outcomes.
“Encouraging physical activity for your children is key.I’m not sure about you, but my parents opened the door and said, ‘go play’.And that door was always to the backyard or a playground, not a bedroom with electronics.Promoting offline activities to prevent sedentary lifestyles will raise happy, healthy children.
“Parents often feel immense pressure to manage these risks, facing challenges with both their children's dependency on devices and their own guilt.”
“This is so terrifying to me as a parent, Jane.I admit that I once had to report my bank card compromised and it was such an ordeal.A week without immediate access to my funds.I had to go into the bank for everything.”
“That’s exactly where this goes next, Sam.Fraudulent online gaming and shopping charges often stem from account takeovers, phishing scams, or unauthorized in-app purchases, with scammers targeting credit card data for digital assets.Experts say that you should protect yourself by enabling two-factor authentication or 2FA, monitoring statements, and reporting unauthorized transactions immediately to banks and platforms.
“Many people report something called Account Takeover.Hackers use stolen credentials to access gaming profiles on sites to make unauthorized purchases.Even worse?Fraudsters use stolen credit cards for low-cost, high-volume, in-game currency purchases to test if cards are active.
“PhishingScams will send fake emails or messages to trick users into revealing login credentials or bank details.I interview an eighty-four-year-old grandmother who reported getting a phone call from her grandson who said he desperately needed her to send money, as he was stuck in a foreign country.The caller sounded so much like her grandson, she immediately sent him six-thousand dollars!”
“Oh, my goodness!Are you kidding me?”
“I’m afraid not.Users, including minors, make legitimate purchases and then falsely claim they were unauthorized to get money back.This woman’s bank stated that she willingly gave the money and there was nothing they could do.Our investigative team is attempting to help her with that issue now.
“Experts say fraudulent websites offering cheap, rare gaming gear or hardware to steal payment information are more common than you think.Or sites that offer high-end shoes, handbags, clothing, or jewelry at ridiculously low prices should be met with extreme caution.”
“So, what do we do?”
“Contact your bank or credit card company to dispute the charges and cancel the card if necessary. Report the issue to the gaming service or shopping site to freeze the account.Big sites, well-known companies, will do so immediately.
“This is important, change your passwords for the affected account and any others that share the same password, using a unique, strong password, and enable 2FA.For goodness sake, don’t use birthdates, social security numbers, house numbers or anything else that could be easily obtained.
“Either use a security scanning system that comes with your device, or have a professional do so, but check devices for malware or spyware that may have captured credentials.In the U.S. you can file a report with the FTC or local consumer protection agencies.
“We have more information on our website that can help users to ensure that they, and their children are safe from online scammers, predators, and thieves.”
“Such an important story, Jane.Thank you!”
CHAPTER TWO
Present day…
