The internet can open doors to education, employment, financial services, and connections across borders. But a person going online for the first time may encounter fraudulent messages before learning how to identify them. Scammers exploit trust, urgency, and unfamiliar interfaces to persuade users to disclose credentials, install harmful applications, or transfer money.
A BBC Future investigation published in November 2026 examines the risks confronting new internet users, with particular attention to rapidly expanding connectivity in Africa. It describes a fraud victim in Benin, expert concerns about organized cybercrime, and the difficulty of extending consumer protections as quickly as internet access.
This guide explains how to protect new internet users from scams without treating them as the problem. It covers phishing, AI-assisted impersonation, secure accounts, mobile payments, community education, and practical incident response. It also examines what platforms, financial providers, and policymakers can do to make safer digital participation possible for everyone.
Why First-Time Internet Users Face Unique Risks
For someone using the internet for the first time, a message from a familiar name can feel as trustworthy as a conversation in person. Yet online identities are easy to imitate. A criminal can copy a profile picture, register a convincing domain name, or send a message that appears to come from a bank. The user must make a judgment without years of experience recognizing these patterns.
A November 2026 BBC Future report describes the experience of Anicet Etekpo, a security officer in Benin who said he followed a Facebook link apparently sent by a friend in 2022. The destination requested sensitive information, including banking details, and he reported a significant financial loss. His experience illustrates a common mechanism: attackers borrow trust from a relationship before asking a person to take a risky action.
New users are not inherently careless. They may be learning unfamiliar interfaces, dealing with expensive mobile data, sharing devices with family members, or relying on informal help to complete digital transactions. Fraudsters exploit these circumstances. Effective protection must make safe behavior practical, not merely tell people to be more suspicious.
The wider challenge is significant. The BBC report cites an estimate that 2.6 billion people remain offline and discusses the possibility of billions more gaining access by 2030. Such projections depend on definitions and adoption trends; they should not be treated as a guaranteed count of future victims.
Common Online Scams New Users Should Recognize
Phishing is an attempt to persuade someone to reveal information or open a malicious destination by pretending to be a legitimate organization. It may arrive through email, text messages, social networks, or messaging apps. A message might say that a bank account is locked and demand immediate verification. The safest response is to open the bank’s official app independently rather than use the supplied link.
Impersonation scams use a familiar person or respected institution as a credibility shortcut. A copied profile may ask for emergency money. A supposed government representative may offer a grant but require an upfront processing fee. The emotional pressure matters as much as the technical trick: urgency reduces the time available to verify the claim.
Investment and job scams promise unusually easy returns or income. They may use polished websites, fabricated testimonials, or fake account dashboards. Victims can be encouraged to send additional funds to unlock profits that never existed. Legitimate opportunities should withstand independent checks and should not require secrecy or immediate payment.
Malicious applications are another concern, especially when users install software from links shared in chats. Some apps request access to contacts, notifications, or accessibility functions that they do not need. Permissions are not proof of maliciousness, but unexplained access requests should trigger caution. Installing through trusted app stores and checking the publisher can reduce risk, although no store is perfect.
| Scam type | Typical request | Safer response |
|---|---|---|
| Bank phishing | Enter login details through a link | Use the official banking app |
| Friend impersonation | Send emergency funds | Call the person independently |
| Fake investment | Deposit money for guaranteed returns | Verify authorization and avoid pressure |
| Malicious app | Install software from a message | Check the publisher and permissions |
How AI Makes Fraud More Convincing
Generative AI can help scammers draft fluent messages in many languages, imitate professional customer-support writing, and create plausible images or voices. This can make older warning signs, such as poor spelling, less reliable. A polished message is not evidence that its sender is authentic.
A voice message that sounds like a relative may still be manipulated or synthetic. If a caller asks for money, account credentials, or a one-time verification code, pause and contact the person through a number already saved in your phone. A family verification phrase can also help, provided it is not shared publicly or stored in an easily accessible group chat.
AI does not change the fundamental objective of most scams: the attacker wants money, credentials, personal information, or access to a device. Defense should therefore focus on verifying requests and limiting damage rather than trying to identify every AI-generated artifact by sight or sound.
The BBC article quotes cybersecurity specialists warning that culturally and linguistically tailored scams may become more common. This is an expert assessment about a developing threat, not proof that every reported scam involved artificial intelligence. Distinguishing documented incidents from forecasts helps readers assess risk without panic.
Why Local Context Matters for Digital Safety
An effective safety message must reflect the services people actually use. In one community, mobile money may be the primary payment method. In another, users may depend on bank apps, government portals, or messaging-based commerce. Fraud warnings that mention only unfamiliar services can miss the threats people encounter every day.
Language also matters. Security instructions written in technical English may be inaccessible to someone whose preferred language is different. Short examples in local languages, voice explanations, and screenshots of common warning signs can make guidance easier to apply. Educators should avoid assuming that everyone has a private computer, unlimited data, or a reliable connection.
The BBC report highlights expanding internet adoption in Africa alongside uneven connectivity and consumer protection. It also cites reported cybercrime losses and describes initiatives involving governments and international organizations. These figures and initiatives illustrate the scale of the challenge, but reported losses are incomplete measures: many incidents are never reported, and different authorities may count them differently.
Local organizations can improve resilience by partnering with schools, libraries, community groups, telecommunications providers, and trusted financial institutions. Practical demonstrations—such as checking a website address or reporting a fraudulent payment—often work better than abstract warnings about cybercrime.
Warning Signs: A Practical Verification Method
Start with the request, not the appearance of the message. Ask whether the sender wants you to share a password, reveal a verification code, install an app, transfer money, or act immediately. These requests deserve extra scrutiny even when the message appears to come from someone you know.
Next, verify through a separate channel. Do not rely on a telephone number, website, or reply address supplied in the suspicious message. Instead, open an app you already use, type the official website address yourself, or call the institution using a number from a trusted statement or card. This breaks the attacker’s control over the conversation.
Look closely at website addresses. Criminals can create names that resemble legitimate brands with extra words, swapped letters, or unusual domains. A padlock icon indicates that a connection is encrypted; it does not prove that the organization behind the site is honest. Likewise, a professional design and positive reviews can be fabricated.
Finally, give yourself permission to stop. Real organizations can usually explain a request and provide a way to verify it. A sender who threatens punishment for taking a moment to check is giving you a reason to be more careful. If uncertainty remains, ask a trusted person or contact the organization directly.
Set Up Safer Accounts From Day One
Use a unique password for each important account, especially email, banking, and messaging. Reusing one password means that a breach at an unrelated service can expose several accounts. A reputable password manager can generate and store strong credentials, reducing the need to memorize many complex strings.
Enable multifactor authentication wherever available. Authenticator apps and passkeys generally offer stronger phishing resistance than relying on passwords alone; the exact level of protection depends on the service and implementation. Never share a one-time code with a caller or message sender. A code intended for you is not a customer-service verification question.
Secure the recovery process as well. Keep recovery email addresses and phone numbers current, review account recovery options, and save backup codes somewhere safe. An account can still be taken over if its recovery method is weak, even when the main password is strong.
Update the phone operating system, browser, and apps regularly. Security updates close known weaknesses, although updates alone do not prevent deception. Install apps from reputable sources, remove applications you no longer use, and review permissions periodically. Screen locks and device encryption provide additional protection if a phone is lost or shared.
Safer Payments, Shopping, and Mobile Money
Before paying a new seller, check the merchant through independent sources and examine the return policy, contact details, and payment method. An unfamiliar store offering an implausibly low price is not automatically fraudulent, but it warrants additional checks. Avoid sending payments outside a platform’s official checkout when doing so removes buyer protections.
For mobile money and banking, use the provider’s official app or verified short code, and read transaction confirmation screens carefully. Fraudsters sometimes ask users to approve a payment while describing it as a refund or account check. The wording on the actual authorization screen matters more than what the caller says.
Never give another person remote access to your phone or computer simply because they claim to provide technical support. Remote-control tools can be legitimate, but they can also allow an attacker to observe banking activity or move money. Contact support using a verified channel and end the conversation if you feel pressured.
Where available, enable transaction alerts and set reasonable payment limits. These controls do not guarantee reimbursement, but they can help people detect unusual activity quickly. If money is sent to a suspected scammer, contact the financial provider immediately and ask about its fraud response process.
How Families, Schools, and Community Groups Can Help
Cybersecurity education should begin with everyday situations rather than technical jargon. A short exercise can show two similar-looking messages and ask learners which one requests sensitive information. Another can demonstrate how to find a bank’s official contact details without clicking an unexpected link.
Families can agree on a simple rule: urgent requests for money or verification codes must be confirmed by a second communication method. This protects people across generations, not only first-time users. Encourage questions without embarrassment. Someone who fears being judged may hide a suspicious message until the damage is harder to reverse.
Schools and community organizations can teach three repeatable habits: pause, verify, and report. Sessions should include practical demonstrations of account recovery, app permissions, privacy settings, and safe payments. Materials should be accessible to people with limited literacy or disabilities and should be adapted to local devices and languages.
Organizations providing connectivity can contribute by offering clear fraud warnings during onboarding, maintaining easy-to-find reporting channels, and helping users recognize official communications. The goal is to build confidence and independence, not to discourage participation in digital services.
What Technology Companies and Governments Should Do
Individual awareness is necessary but insufficient. Platforms decide how accounts are verified, how suspicious advertisements are reviewed, how users report impersonation, and how quickly fraudulent content is removed. Safety-by-design features can reduce the number of dangerous decisions a new user must make.
Financial providers can strengthen fraud detection, offer clear transaction confirmations, and make emergency reporting available around the clock. Telecommunications companies can work to identify abusive messaging patterns while respecting privacy and applicable law. These measures require careful design to avoid blocking legitimate users or creating new surveillance risks.
Governments can support consumer protection, accessible complaint channels, cross-border investigations, and digital literacy. The BBC report discusses law-enforcement efforts and policy responses in several countries, while noting that investigation after harm does not replace prevention. Public initiatives should be evaluated on whether users can actually obtain help, not merely on the number of campaigns announced.
Independent researchers and civil-society organizations can test whether safety measures work for people with limited connectivity, language barriers, or shared devices. Transparent reporting on scam removal and recovery outcomes would also help the public understand where protection is improving and where gaps remain.
What to Do After Clicking a Suspicious Link
If you opened a suspicious page but did not enter information, close it and avoid downloading anything. Check whether a file or application was installed. Update your device and run its built-in security checks where available. Simply visiting a page does not always mean an account is compromised, so respond to what actually happened.
If you entered a password, change it immediately from the official service using a trusted device. Change the password anywhere else it was reused, sign out of unfamiliar sessions, and enable multifactor authentication. If you shared a one-time code, contact the affected service promptly because the attacker may already have access.
If you provided financial details or sent money, contact your bank, card issuer, or mobile-money provider without delay. Ask about freezing access, blocking transactions, or disputing a payment. Recovery options vary by provider, jurisdiction, and payment type; no responsible guide can promise that lost funds will be returned.
Preserve evidence such as messages, transaction references, screenshots, and website addresses, but do not continue interacting with the suspected scammer to gather more. Report the incident to the platform and relevant local authorities. Watch for follow-up fraud: criminals may impersonate recovery agents and demand another fee to retrieve stolen money.
A Ten-Step Online Safety Checklist
Use this checklist when setting up a new phone, account, or online service. Each step reduces a different type of risk, and no single step is a complete solution.
1. Protect your primary email account with a unique password and multifactor authentication. 2. Use a password manager or another secure method for keeping distinct credentials. 3. Install operating-system and app updates. 4. Download apps only from reputable sources and inspect permissions. 5. Verify unexpected requests through an independent contact method.
6. Never disclose passwords or one-time login codes to callers or chat contacts. 7. Check the full website address before entering sensitive information. 8. Turn on transaction notifications where available. 9. Learn the official fraud-reporting process for your bank or payment provider. 10. Teach one trusted friend or family member how to recognize urgent impersonation requests.
Review these habits periodically as services and devices change. The objective is not perfect threat detection; it is to make common scams harder to execute and easier to contain.
What Safer Internet Expansion Could Look Like
The next wave of internet adoption creates enormous opportunities for education, commerce, healthcare, and communication. Those benefits are easier to realize when security is built into the first experience of using a digital service. Onboarding that explains payment confirmation, account recovery, and impersonation risks can prevent confusion before it becomes costly.
A useful measure of progress is whether people can recognize a suspicious request, reach trustworthy support, and recover from an incident without unnecessary barriers. More devices and faster connectivity alone do not provide those outcomes. Investment in local-language education, secure product design, and accessible consumer protections is equally important.
The BBC report’s central warning is that connectivity can grow faster than the safeguards surrounding it. That gap is not inevitable. Coordinated action by communities, companies, financial providers, and public institutions can make the online world safer for new users while preserving the openness and opportunity that make internet access valuable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are new internet users more likely to be scammed?
New users may lack experience with impersonation, phishing, and fraudulent payment requests, but anyone can be targeted. Risk depends on the situation, available protections, and the scammer’s methods. Learning a few verification habits and using secure account settings can help both beginners and experienced users.
What is the safest response to a suspicious bank message?
Do not use the message’s link or telephone number. Open the bank’s official app or contact the institution through a number you already trust. Never share your password or one-time authentication code. If you already entered information, contact the bank promptly and secure your account.
Can scammers use AI to impersonate someone I know?
Yes. AI tools can generate convincing text, images, and sometimes synthetic voices. Treat unexpected requests for money or credentials as unverified even when the sender sounds familiar. Call the person using an independently saved number or use another established verification method.
Does a padlock icon mean a website is safe?
No. A padlock generally means the connection is encrypted. Fraudulent websites can also use encryption. Check the domain name, the service’s legitimacy, and the purpose of any information request before entering personal or payment details.
What should I do if I sent money to a scammer?
Contact your bank, card issuer, or mobile-money provider immediately and explain what happened. Ask about fraud reporting, blocking additional transactions, and any dispute or recovery options. Save transaction records and report the incident to the relevant platform and authorities. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Are password managers safe for beginners?
A reputable password manager can help users create and maintain unique passwords without memorizing every credential. Protect the manager with a strong master password and available multifactor authentication. Choose a trustworthy provider, keep the app updated, and learn its recovery process before relying on it.
How can parents or teachers explain phishing simply?
Describe phishing as a message that pretends to come from someone trustworthy to persuade you to click, pay, or share information. Practice with examples and teach learners to pause, verify through a separate channel, and ask for help. Avoid blaming people who report suspicious messages.
Who is responsible for protecting first-time internet users?
Responsibility is shared. Individuals can learn basic safety habits, while technology platforms, banks, schools, governments, and community organizations must provide safer systems, accessible reporting, and practical education. Placing the entire burden on inexperienced users overlooks preventable design and consumer-protection failures.
Conclusion
Protecting new internet users from scams requires more than a warning not to click suspicious links. The most effective approach combines easy-to-learn verification habits with secure account settings, accessible financial safeguards, and services designed to reduce opportunities for fraud.
The BBC’s reporting shows why this work is urgent: connectivity is spreading into communities where reliable consumer protection and digital literacy resources may not be keeping pace. Attackers can exploit familiar relationships, local institutions, and emerging AI tools to make fraudulent requests appear credible.
A practical starting point is simple: pause before responding to unexpected requests, verify through an independent channel, protect important accounts with strong authentication, and report suspected fraud quickly. Families, educators, companies, and public institutions must reinforce those habits with clear support and trustworthy systems. Digital inclusion should mean not only getting people connected, but helping them participate with confidence and safety.
Sources and Further Reading
- BBC Future: Scammers are waiting to swindle new internet users. How do we protect them? — original reporting, November 2026.
- Yahoo Tech: BBC article republication — accessible version consulted for this article.
- CISA: Secure Our World — general account and phishing safety guidance.
- US Federal Trade Commission: Scams — consumer education and reporting resources.
Editorial note: Examples and prevention guidance are YARVICO’s original educational synthesis. The BBC report is the source for the Benin case study and attributed expert observations. Figures and projections are described as reported estimates, not independently audited totals.
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