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Inside the Machine G3 to G5 / Week 11 / Thursday
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Week 11 · Keeping information safe

Thursday

Tricky messages
// Locks, copies and tricky messages
⏱ about 15 min

Thursday: Tricky messages

A message pops up on the bay tablet. You have won a prize! Tap here in the next two minutes! Rocket reaches for the screen. "A prize! Quick!"

Raven catches his sleeve. "Two minutes? What do you notice about the hurry?"

Nova turns a steady blue. "Would you like a hint? A real friend does not rush you. Someone who rushes you wants you to skip thinking."

What a tricky message is

A tricky message pretends to be from someone you trust. It wants you to tap a link, type a secret or install something.

It might look like a game company, a teacher or a friend. It might come as a text, an email or a pop-up.

Tricky messages work by making you feel something fast. Excited. Scared. Rushed. Feelings make people skip the thinking step.

The warning signs

  • Hurry: act now, only two minutes, last chance.
  • Prize: you won, free gift, special reward.
  • Fear: your account will be deleted, you are in trouble.
  • Secrets: asks for a password, a code or personal information.
  • Strange: odd spelling, a sender you do not know, a link that looks wrong.

One sign is a clue. Two or more signs mean stop. Real messages from real places almost never ask for a password.

Personal information means facts about you. Your full name, address, school or photo. Those never go into a message to a stranger.

SPOT THE SIGNS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A message says: You won! Tap in two minutes! How many warning signs?
A pop-up asks you to type your password to fix an error. What do you do?
A message says your account will be deleted unless you tap now. Which feeling is it using?
A message from a friend has strange spelling and a weird link. What do you do?

Stop, think, tell

The plan for a tricky message has three steps. It works every time.

Stop. Do not tap, reply or type anything. Leave the message exactly as it is.

Think. Count the warning signs. Ask yourself who really sent this.

Tell. Show a grown-up right away. Grown-ups would much rather see a message than find out later.

You are never in trouble for showing a message. Showing it is exactly what a technician does.

A message makes you feel rushed, scared or excited
Stop: do not tap or reply
Think: count the warning signs
Tell: show a grown-up
The grown-up decides what to do
What is the first step when a message feels wrong? One word.
A message that asks for a password is showing which sign?
Who do you show a tricky message to?
StatementTrue or false?
A real message almost never asks for your password.?
Hurry words are a warning sign.?
You will be in trouble for showing a grown-up a message.?
A message that looks like a friend is always from that friend.?
WHY THIS EXERCISETrusting the plan, not the message, is what keeps information safe.

What happens after you tell? The grown-up might delete the message. They might report it to the app. They might check that nothing was tapped.

None of that is your job. Your job ended when you told. That is what makes the plan easy to follow.

Tricky messages reach everyone, including grown-ups. Spotting one is a skill, not a test you can fail.

How many warning signs mean you should stop? Type a number.
WHY THIS EXERCISETwo or more signs together almost always mean a tricky message.
For a grown-up
Tell your child plainly: you will never be upset when they show you a message.
Agree on a family rule: no taps on links in surprise messages without a grown-up.
If a tricky message arrives, look at it together and decide calmly.

Sharp eyes, Crew Technician! Rocket did not tap, and the message vanished. Tomorrow you put the whole week together into one plan for when something feels wrong.

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