A number of experts spoke about the issue at the recent Cyber Peace event in Hanoi. This activity followed the Hanoi Convention 2025 and the "Not Alone" campaign, aiming to build a safe and humane digital environment for the younger generation.

Lieutenant Colonel and Luu Xuan Van, PhD, and lecturer at the Faculty of Cybersecurity and High-tech Crime Prevention, People's Security Academy, said online criminals now use numerous sophisticated methods to lure and threaten students, causing psychological, financial and health damage. 

Their tactics focus on four main methods. First, criminals may impersonate police officers or government agencies to threaten that students are involved in legal procedures. They direct victims to follow a pre-set script, leading them into transferring money or engaging in illegal activities.

In addition, cybercriminals can create fake websites or forums to collect personal data, then use this information to build scam scenarios targeting victims’ relatives or friends.

They may also exploit security vulnerabilities to obtain sensitive or important information about students in order to intimidate and attack them.

Furthermore, through social media, criminals can create misleading information to manipulate public opinion, leading students to participate in unlawful activities.

Lieutenant Colonel Luu Xuan Van noted that although these tactics are not new and have been widely warned about, many students with strong academic abilities and good understanding, even those who are highly talented and intelligent, still fall for scams.

He explained that students access technology from a very young age and rely heavily on online services, yet their digital skills remain limited and their legal knowledge insufficient. This makes them vulnerable to manipulation.

Many capable and curious students actively seek information online, but such information is often mixed between truth and falsehood. Amid this “maze,” they may become overly confident, ignore warnings, and easily become victims.

Prof. Le Anh Vinh, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, shared a similar view. He cited a study by the Institute comparing two groups of students - one with very strong IT skills and another with average skills. Surprisingly, the IT-proficient group demonstrated lower digital safety skills.

“Having knowledge or strong technology skills does not mean students possess the necessary ability to cope with online scam risks, even though these scenarios are very common,” Vinh said.

To help children protect themselves, Vinh stressed that students must be educated early about digital skills to recognize deceptive behaviors and risks, while improving awareness and critical thinking, always questioning unusual situations to stay prepared.

Le Anh Lan, an education expert at UNICEF Vietnam, said that to protect children online, the most important factor is to enhance their ability to identify risks rather than relying solely on restrictions or warnings.

Lan added that UNICEF advocates equipping children with digital skills as early as possible, ideally from preschool.

“When we made this recommendation, many parents, even educators, showed their objection. Many questioned why preschool children should be exposed so early to the digital environment. But whether we want it or not, children from preschool age are already immersed in the digital world,” she said. “So the issue is not at what age they should be exposed, but rather how adults prepare the right skills and environment to help them navigate and take control in the digital world.”

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Cuong from A05, Ministry of Public Security, said that from mid-2024 to August 2025, about 50 online scam and coercion cases were recorded. 

Among them, “online kidnapping” is a new and dangerous tactic that often targets students. Of the 50 victims, 90 percent were female and all were between 18 and 22 years old, mostly students living away from home.

Nguyen Phuong Linh, Director of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment, noted that risks related to online kidnapping and scams are now very common, and the tricks and methods used by cybercriminals are highly unpredictable and sophisticated.

“Every day, cybercriminals study user psychology and create new scenarios. Without vigilance, even adults who have read many online warnings can easily fall into traps. This makes it very difficult for a child to recognize that these messages of coercion or manipulation are wrong,” Linh said.

She added that while social media is meant to connect people, it can now disconnect children from the real world. Offenders exploit loneliness and the desire for validation to manipulate emotions, creating unsafe connections.

Therefore, Linh recommended that parents and schools must create opportunities for children to connect, share, and have someone who truly listens to them.

Thuy Nga