Bethany Alvaro 
WA ScamNet has issued warnings to people aged 16 and under, as well as to their families, to remain vigilant of digital scams.
In a statement, the WA government said there is a risk of this demographic becoming a major target for well-known scams due to potential confusion that may arise for young people as they have now been restricted from using major social platforms.
“The Cook Labor government supports the federal changes to legislation that protect our young people from the pressure and risks associated with being on social media,” Minister for Commerce Dr Tony Buti said.
“We want Western Australian families to take the time to talk with their children about scam prevention and help them recognise the common red flags.
“Staying informed and talking openly about online safety and scams as a family can make a significant difference in taking away power from scammers.”
ScamNet said scams can come in a myriad of forms, warning that criminals may play into the ban in the way that they approach a potential victim.
With some reports of age verification measures not being imposed quickly on popular apps, scammers may falsely represent themselves as the government or police, saying that the new age restriction law has been broken by the individual and they must either provide identification or may be asked to pay a fine.
Additionally, scammers may send fake messages that appear to be from a popular social media site asking for verification of age, saying that their account will be locked permanently unless this is provided.
People are urged to be aware of one of the most common existing scams, the “Hi Mum” scam, taking new form with scammers posing as a person’s child asking for them to verify their accounts.
ScamNet said people can stay safe from these (and other) scams by “practice[ing] the pause” and not respond to anything that feels strangely urgent or unusual, be familiar with the ways that platforms contact users, and do not click on links, downloads or attachments from unverified sources.