A new resource for schools to help children and teenagers to avoid falling victim to financial frauds has been launched.
Out of Your Hands - www.outofyourhands.com - is aimed at children of primary and secondary school age and will help educate young people on how to protect themselves against cyber scammers when they are using the internet for shopping and banking.
The resource, which has been launched by Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) and the Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum (Tuff), will also highlight scenarios for typical frauds such as "vishing", which happens when criminals pose as police or bank employees over the phone to dupe people into handing over their personal details.
The Out of Your Hands website can be used by schools across the UK and provides free downloadable work sheets and short films, as well as key features of common scams and links for places to register your mobile phone in the fight against phone crime.
Katy Worobec, head of FFA UK, said they have seen evidence of attacks against people of all ages so it's vital that children are taught how to avoid becoming a victim.
"School pupils are often the first to use new technologies, which bring with them new risks," Worobec said.
She said the popularity of social media has meant that more young people are used to sharing their personal information online, which could also put them at greater risk of identity theft.
"These new teaching resources will help ensure children are aware of how to keep this data safe in the present day and in later life," she said.
Research has found that 64 per cent of children have their first bank or building society account by the time they start secondary school, while 44 per cent of 16- to 18-year-olds use internet banking.
Recent fraud figures have also suggested that criminals are increasingly turning to deception crimes to trick people into handing over their personal details amid improvements to security such as the widespread use of chip and pin.
The Out of Your Hands initiative was originally launched in 2004 by Tuff and the Home Office specifically to educate young people about using a mobile phone safely.
Among the new resources launched are business studies activities for 14- to 16-year-olds, looking at how businesses and consumers can keep themselves safe online.
There are also maths activities for 11- to 16-year-olds, looking at the cost of fraud to different sectors, as well as who is most likely to fall victim to fraud.
Children aged between seven and 16 will also be taught about methods of communication and exchanging information and the positive and negative influences of technology on society.
There is also a "suspect or safe" quiz, where pupils work out which emails or websites are authentic and which have been set up by "phishing" fraudsters, trying to get victims to send their personal details.
"Best practice is especially important when using devices to conduct financial transactions, such as purchasing the latest music downloads," Ian Smith, CEO of Tuff, said.
"When compromised, personal details are often the trigger for online fraud and crime."
Tracey Bleakley, chief executive of pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group), said it is crucial that young people are taught about how to manage their personal finances safely, "both online and offline, from an early age."
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