Online Security - BBC Teach

Secondary Resources > GCSE PSHE / GCSE Citizenship / GCSE Computing > Digital Literacy

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Video summary

This short film offers advice on how to spot an online scam as well as tips on what you can do to protect yourself online.

The concept of phishing is introduced and a range of common scams are identified.

The film also reinforces the need to contact the authorities if students find themselves involved in any kind of scam.

The top tips section at the end should provide useful take-away points for students.

Teacher Notes

Before watching this short film students could do what seems like a normal quiz of the kind they might find online or in social media.

You could ask your students what they thought of the quiz, if they’ve done that kind of thing before and why they have done it.

Students can be asked if they think that there is any danger in doing a quiz like that.

You could then show the film and have the same discussion with the new information the students have.

Students could watch the film and then discuss the kinds of emails or contacts they have experienced that might have been phishing scams.

They could then make a list of red-flags that people need to look out for to help identify scams.

You could task students with writing their own phishing emails so that they are more aware of the kinds of things they should be on the look-out for.

Students could provide advice for the character of Mia or make a glossary of different key terms such as phishing and money laundering.

Links to new statutory RSE and HE curriculum (secondary)

Pupils should have a strong understanding of how data is generated, collected, shared and used online, for example, how personal data is captured on social media or understanding the way that businesses may exploit the data available to them.

Online and media: pupils should know about online risks, including that any material someone provides to another has the potential to be shared online and the difficulty of removing potentially compromising material placed online; not to provide material to others that they would not want shared further and not to share personal material which is sent to them; how information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online.

Other subject areas

This short film could be used across other subject areas such as citizenship or computing.

In computing this film could be linked to lessons on detecting and preventing cyber security threats, assessing the risk of different websites.

In citizenship students could use the film as a stimulus for researching other kinds of scams and what kinds of action people have been able to take.

This short film touches on elements of PSHE, citizenship and computing at GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 4 and 5 in Scotland.