Scams morph weekly. Pattern recognition stays. These are the five every Indian teenager will run into:
1. The OTP ask
"Hi, this is HDFC Bank. We need your OTP to re-verify your account."
Teach the rule: banks never ask for OTP. Anyone who asks is a thief. No exceptions, not even "last three digits".
2. The pay-to-win gaming currency
"V-Bucks / Robux / Diamonds at 80% off — click here." The link is either a phishing site or malware.
Teach: in-game currency only comes from the official game store, never from strangers.
3. The "friend" in trouble
DM from someone who claims to be a friend: "Locked out of my UPI, can you send me ₹500 and I'll repay tomorrow?"
Teach: call the actual friend before sending. Accounts get hacked; that's how the scam works.
4. The giveaway influencer
"DM me to claim your ₹5,000 Amazon voucher." You DM. They ask for "processing fee" or account details.
Teach: real giveaways never ask you to send money first. Free means free.
5. The fake job
"Earn ₹5,000/day from home. Just pay ₹500 training deposit."
Teach: money flows FROM employer TO employee. Any reverse is a scam.
The meta-skill
The pattern behind all five is the same: urgency + small ask + promise of big reward. When a message pressures you to act fast for a tiny cost to win something big — pause, screenshot, ask a grown-up.
Slow is safe. Fast is stolen.