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Ages 8+ · Digital Life · Scams and fakes
Pop-ups and fake buttons
🪟pop-up⏰hurry clock❎fake X🧑tell a grown-up
A pop-up that hurries you is a trick.
The big ideaA pop-up that scares or hurries you is a trick. Close it safely, tell a grown-up.

How it works

A pop-up is a box that jumps up over the page you are on.

Some are only ads, but a fake one pretends to be serious.

A page cannot see a problem inside your tablet, so a box that says it can is a trick.

Touch nothing in the box and get a grown-up. You are never in trouble.

A clue of a trick• Says your device has a problem• A giant Download or fix-it button• A close X in a strange place• A countdown clock• A number to callFine to see• A note from a game you chose, like Level saved• A reminder from your teacher's app
Clues of a trick, and what is fine.

Example 1: Idris's four clues

  1. A box said his device had a problem.
  2. A giant button said Download the fixer.
  3. The close X was tiny and slid away, and a clock counted down.
  4. That is four clues, so the box was a trick.

Example 2: Close it safely

  1. Touch nothing inside the box, not the download and not the X.
  2. Use the window's own close, outside the box.
  3. If it will not close, a grown-up can close the page or the app.
  4. Then tell a grown-up.
Touch nothing in theboxWindow's own closeA grown-up closes thepage
Three safe steps.

Example 3: Nell's number

  1. Nell's pop-up said her phone had a problem and told her to call a number.
  2. A number in a pop-up is part of the trick.
  3. A grown-up finds the real one.
  4. Nell showed her dad, and he closed the page.

Example 4: A box that is fine

  1. A game you chose says Level saved.
  2. It asks for nothing at all.
  3. Not every box is a trick, so look for the clues first.

Words to know

pop-up
A box that jumps up over the page you are on.
clue
A part that tells you something is a trick.
fake close
A close button that is tiny, hidden or oddly placed, and opens more boxes.
trick
Something made to rush you into pressing.

Watch out

Try it

  1. A box says your device has a problem. Can a page see that?
  2. The tiny X slides away when you tap it. What now?
  3. A pop-up says to call a number. Who finds the real number?
  4. A clock counts down on a box. Why?
Answers: 1. No, it is a trick · 2. Touch nothing and get a grown-up · 3. A grown-up · 4. So you do not stop to think
Try at homeAsk a grown-up to show you how your family closes a pop-up that will not close, and do it together.
For grown-upsShow your child where the page or app close is on your family's device, and agree that a box that will not close always comes to you.
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