Playing and learning with Roblox can be a great way of connecting with others and participating in a global community. By taking proactive measures to protect your privacy and understand how to spot unreliable information, you can prevent others from ruining the experience for you.
Personal and Private Information
Part of the joy of being online is sharing with others. Whether it's talking about favorite movies, or making memories in a virtual field trip. As you share, keep yourself safe from scams and other risks by being mindful of what you communicate to others.
General information, like tips for how to play a game, is okay to share. Some examples below.
- How you earned an avatar item.
- Tips for getting better at a game.
- What you like about a game.
Private information that would let people online find you, like your home address, is best kept to yourself. Some examples below.
- Name, age, gender identity, where you live.
- Contact or social media information.
- Game account information like password, email, or date of birth.
To protect yourself, always learn about a platform's privacy practices and settings. On Roblox, don't share personal information, even if it's with a friend. Even simple information, like an email, can lead to someone finding your real life identity or give them hints as to how to get into your account. This can lead to events like having your identity and Robux stolen, someone impersonating you and saying rude things to friends, or selling off your items.
Reporting Bad Actors
When a negative situation happens, like seeing an abusive player or being the victim of a scam, you can take action with a report. Creating a report lets a platform, like Roblox, know that something needs to be investigated. By providing specific and clear information, you can solve personal account problems and help others in the community.
To file a Roblox report, do the following:
In-game on the top left, click the Roblox button.
In the Report tab, follow the prompts to create the report. When finished, click Submit.
Different social media websites, games, and other platforms have their own ways of making reports. For a trusted source to see how to make reports on a variety of websites, see ReportHarmfulContent.com . Note, while this website is focused on the United Kingdom, the information is applicable internationally.
Writing Helpful Reports
As you create a report, make the description specific and clear. This helps Roblox staff respond more effectively to an issue. Notice the difference between the following reports.
"A player is being mean. Help!"
- Not Specific - doesn't provide specific information people can use to take action.
"Snarly805 is messaging people about giving out free robux if they go to this website."
- Specific and Clear - Mentions a specific user by account name and what they were doing.
Reliable Information Online
In addition to being mindful of your personal information, be watchful with what information you trust. While some sources, like the official Roblox website can be trusted, you may find games or websites looking to take advantage of you with scams.
Be cautious with private messages. It's okay to talk to people online but be careful with people you don't know, especially for people asking for suspicious favors. Scammers often will try and get you to click on links or chat on platforms outside Roblox, such as Instagram or Discord.
Spotting Unreliable Information
Below are clues used to spot unreliable websites and information.
Clue 1: Transactions deal with real life money or gifts like free Robux.
Red flags should go up whenever you hear someone offering free Robux. A free gift or the promise of real life money is often used to entice players into scams. For instance, a player may promise to send you real life money for an in-game item, often seen in Player Trading Scams. And of course, there is no such thing as free Robux.
For example, below are screenshots of real scam videos found on Youtube. Notice how they all reference free robux in the title and attempt to bait a viewer with images that prompt urgency, such as a "shocked" emoji.
Discussion: Scams in Real Life If you're using this lesson in the classroom, take time for this discussion on spotting scams in real-life experiences.
- Help your students make connections to real life by sparking a discussion with the following questions:
- What types of scams have you seen online or in Roblox? What did it say and how did you feel it was a scam?
- What kind of scams have you seen in emails or social media? What was your reaction?
- You're friend shows you something that you think is a scam and may share it with others. How can you talk to them so they understand it's a scam?
Clue 2: Prompts you for account or personal information.
Roblox employees will never ask for your password or personal identifying information like your home address. Particularly don't trust any websites that ask you for your Roblox account information. You don't want people to be able to find you in real life, or steal your account.
Clue 3: Makes claims without a source
Use the Rule of 3: if you're not sure about something, see if you can find three other trusted sources, be it on a trusted website or adult. For instance, you may have heard Roblox is shutting down (it's not). But how would you check?
Clue 4: Links to non-official websites.
Links to other websites can often be bait for scams or other harmful activities. Sometimes, the scammers will use similar sounding names or common misspellings to catch people who aren't paying attention. Sometimes this might even be a link from a friend who's not sure it's a scam. These links could look like rublux.com or r0blox.com. If the link isn't from a trusted site, don't follow it no matter what it says. Even clicking or typing in links can expose you to risks.
For example, the text below is a common scam.
i'm making a game and i wanna put your roblox character in it. could you upload your roblox char texture as a decal and send me the link? here's a tutorial on youtube if you don't know how to do it.
Users would go to Youtube and follow instructions where they'd type in a browser link which had malicious code. Scammers would then gain access to accounts.
Activity - Investigate Scams
You can use real life scams to get your students to critically think about the information they see and apply the information they learn here.
To challenge students, go through one of the external resources below.
Explain a situation and ask the following questions:
- What would be your immediate response to this?
- How would you know this is a scam? What clues are there?
- If your friend was accidentally sending you a scam, how would you inform them about it so they can learn?
Examples of Information
Below are examples of information you might find in a Roblox game. What makes one reliable and the other unreliable?
Example 1
"If you give me your account info, I'll give you some free pets I don't need anymore."
- Unreliable - Tells you to go to a website outside Roblox which may have exploits and hacks. Free Robux is being used to bait people.
Example 2 If you buy a game pass in this game's shop for 200 Robux, we'll give you a free in-game pet each week.
- Reliable - While it is a transaction, it stays within Roblox. It also lets you know what's being traded and you know what you're getting in the end.
Additional Resources
Protecting Accounts
One way of protecting your account is to use 2 Factor Authentication (or sometimes called 2FA). This feature makes sure nobody else can log into your account, even if they know your password. Whenever you log in, you'll recieve a unique code from Roblox in your email, giving you an extra layer of protection. Learn more in Add 2-Step Verification to Your Account.
Scavenger Hunt Game
To help you identify reliable information, go through a scavenger hunt in a Roblox experience. As you go through the experience, use the four clues in Spotting Unreliable Information to identify potential risks and explain why.
Supplemental Materials
- Scavenger Hunt Handout - A Powerpoint presentation covering the information on this page.
- Digital Safety Presentation - A Powerpoint presentation covering the information on this page.