More and more people are falling for scams where criminals pretend to be a real company offering jobs. They send messages through text or WhatsApp and trick people into giving them their bank details. Last year, nearly £1 million was stolen from victims of these scams. One victim, 18-year-old Bella Betterton, had £3,000 taken from her. She thought she was going to a real job interview, but it was all a trick. The police think there are many more victims who haven’t reported what happened to them.

These scams work by promising people more money or work, but then stealing their money instead. Bella had been working hard to save up for university, but all her savings were taken. The scammers pretended to interview her over the phone and convinced her to buy things with their money. Then they used her information to make payments to a cryptocurrency exchange. Bella was really upset and didn’t know what to do. She had never experienced anything like this before and had to work extra hours to try to make up for the stolen money.

Scammers target a lot of people, and even if only a few respond, they can get important information like bank details. They might ask for a small payment upfront, promising to pay it back later. Once they have someone hooked, they can take even more money from them. Stopping fraud like this needs everyone to work together, including the government, police, and businesses. Bella’s bank won’t give her the money back, but she’s fighting their decision. This whole experience has made her more aware of the dangers in the world.

Original news source: I had £3,000 stolen via WhatsApp job scam message’ (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will read the article and summarize the main points in their own words. They should focus on key details such as the rise in job scams, the methods used by scammers, and the impact on victims. Afterward, each group will share their summaries with the class and compare their findings.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Students will form pairs or small groups and discuss their opinions on the topic of job scams. They should consider questions such as “Do you think you could fall for a scam like this?” and “What measures should be taken to prevent these scams?” After discussing, each group will present their opinions to the class and engage in a class-wide discussion.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a list of vocabulary words related to the article, such as “scam,” “victim,” “fraud,” and “cryptocurrency.” One student from each group will choose a word and draw a picture representing that word, while the other student(s) guess what the word is. The group with the most correct guesses wins.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a timer and a set amount of time (e.g., 1 minute). One student will read a paragraph from the article, and their partner must quickly summarize the main points in their own words before the time runs out. After each round, partners switch roles. The pair with the most accurate and concise summaries wins.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of job scams. They should consider questions such as “How do you think scammers will adapt their tactics?” and “What measures can individuals and organizations take to protect themselves?” After discussing, each group will present their predictions to the class and engage in a class-wide discussion.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. How do scammers trick people into giving them their bank details?
2. How much money was stolen from victims of these scams last year?
3. What happened to Bella Betterton when she went to the job interview?
4. How did the scammers convince Bella to buy things with their money?
5. Why was Bella upset after her money was stolen?
6. Why do scammers target a lot of people, even if only a few respond?
7. Who needs to work together to stop fraud like this?
8. Why won’t Bella’s bank give her the money back?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

More and more people are falling for scams where criminals (1)______ to be a real company offering jobs. They send messages through text or WhatsApp and trick people into giving them their bank details. Last year, nearly £1 million was (2)______ from (3)______ of these scams. One victim, 18-year-old Bella Betterton, had £3,000 taken from her. She (4)______ she was going to a real job interview, but it was all a trick. The police think there are many more victims who haven’t reported what happened to them.

These (5)______ work by promising people more (6)______ or work, but then (7)______ their money instead. Bella had been working hard to save up for university, but all her savings were taken. The (8)______ pretended to interview her over the phone and convinced her to buy things with their money. Then they used her information to make payments to a (9)______ exchange. Bella was really (10)______ and didn’t know what to do. She had never (11)______ anything like this before and had to work extra hours to try to make up for the stolen money.

(12)______ target a lot of people, and even if only a few respond, they can get important information like bank details. They might ask for a small payment upfront, promising to pay it back later. Once they have someone hooked, they can take even more money from them. (13)______ fraud like this needs everyone to work together, (14)______ the government, (15)______, and businesses. Bella’s bank won’t give her the money back, but she’s fighting their decision. This (16)______ experience has made her more aware of the dangers in the world.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a scam?
2. Have you ever heard of someone falling for a scam? What happened?
3. How would you feel if someone stole your savings?
4. Do you think it’s easy to trick people into giving their bank details? Why or why not?
5. What do you think the government, police, and businesses can do to stop scams like this?
6. Have you ever been targeted by a scam? What happened?
7. How do you think scammers convince people to give them money?
8. Why do you think Bella’s bank won’t give her the money back?
9. Do you think it’s important for people to be aware of the dangers in the world? Why or why not?
10. What steps can people take to protect themselves from scams?
11. How would you react if you found out someone you know fell for a scam?
12. Do you think the scammers should be punished? Why or why not?
13. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to work extra hours to make up for lost money? What happened?
14. Do you think it’s fair for scammers to target people who are saving up for something important, like university?
15. What advice would you give to someone who suspects they are being targeted by a scam?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. scams
2. criminals
3. messages
4. trick
5. victims
6. stolen
7. interview
8. convinced
9. cryptocurrency
10. exchange
11. upset
12. target
13. upfront
14. fraud
15. aware

Meanings:
(A) A place where different currencies or assets are traded
(B) Paid or given in advance, before receiving goods or services
(C) Persuaded someone to believe or do something
(D) Written or digital notes sent to communicate with someone
(E) The crime of deceiving people to get money
(F) To deceive someone into believing something that’s not true
(G) Taken illegally or without permission
(H) People who break the law or do bad things
(I) People who are harmed or suffer because of someone else’s actions
(J) Feeling sad, angry, or disappointed because something bad has happened
(K) A type of digital money that uses computer codes
(L) A formal meeting to assess if someone is suitable for a job or task
(M) Dishonest schemes to cheat people out of money
(N) To aim at or direct efforts towards a specific group of people
(O) Knowing about something, being conscious or informed of a situation
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How do scammers trick people into giving them their bank details?
(a) By sending messages through email
(b) By calling people and pretending to be their friends
(c) By pretending to be a real company offering jobs
(d) By stealing people’s wallets

2. How much money was stolen from victims of these scams last year?
(a) £3,000
(b) £10,000
(c) Nearly £1 million
(d) £100,000

3. What happened to Bella Betterton?
(a) She lost her job
(b) She won a lot of money
(c) She went to university
(d) £3,000 was taken from her

4. How did the scammers convince Bella to give them her money?
(a) They pretended to interview her over the phone
(b) They sent her a fake email
(c) They hacked into her bank account
(d) They stole her wallet

5. What did the scammers use Bella’s information for?
(a) To make payments to a cryptocurrency exchange
(b) To buy things for themselves
(c) To open a new bank account
(d) To pay off Bella’s debts

6. Why did Bella have to work extra hours?
(a) To save up for university
(b) To try to make up for the stolen money
(c) To pay off her credit card bills
(d) To buy new clothes

7. How do scammers get important information like bank details?
(a) By hacking into people’s computers
(b) By targeting a lot of people and asking for a small payment upfront
(c) By pretending to be the government
(d) By stealing people’s wallets

8. Who needs to work together to stop fraud like this?
(a) Only the victims of the scams
(b) Only the banks
(c) Only the scammers themselves
(d) The government, police, and businesses

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Last year, victims of these scams had over £1 million stolen from them.
2. The scammers deceive people with promises of more money or work, but instead, they steal their money.
3. One victim, an 18-year-old named Bella Betterton, had £2,000 taken from her after she thought she was going to a genuine job interview.
4. The police believe that there are many more victims who haven’t reported what happened to them.
5. Bella had been saving up for university, but most of her savings were taken by the scammers.
6. The scammers tricked Bella into buying things with their money and used her information to make payments to a cryptocurrency exchange.
7. Bella’s bank has refused to give her the stolen money back, but she is fighting their decision and has become more aware of the dangers in the world as a result.
8. Criminals are tricking people into giving them their bank details by pretending to be real companies offering jobs.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. How do criminals trick people into giving them their bank details?
2. How much money was stolen from victims of these scams last year?
3. What happened to Bella Betterton and how much money was taken from her?
4. How do these scams work and what did the scammers convince Bella to do?
5. Why is it important for everyone to work together to stop fraud like this?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How do scammers trick people into giving them their bank details?
They pretend to be a real company offering jobs and send messages through text or WhatsApp to trick people into giving them their bank details.

2. How much money was stolen from victims of these scams last year?
Nearly £1 million was stolen from victims of these scams last year.

3. What happened to Bella Betterton when she went to the job interview?
Bella thought she was going to a real job interview, but it was all a trick. The scammers stole £3,000 from her.

4. How did the scammers convince Bella to buy things with their money?
The scammers pretended to interview Bella over the phone and convinced her to buy things with their money.

5. Why was Bella upset after her money was stolen?
Bella was upset because all her savings were taken and she had been working hard to save up for university. She had to work extra hours to try to make up for the stolen money.

6. Why do scammers target a lot of people, even if only a few respond?
Scammers target a lot of people because even if only a few respond, they can still get important information like bank details. This increases their chances of stealing money.

7. Who needs to work together to stop fraud like this?
The government, police, and businesses need to work together to stop fraud like this.

8. Why won’t Bella’s bank give her the money back?
Bella’s bank won’t give her the money back, but she’s fighting their decision. The article does not provide a specific reason why the bank won’t give her the money back.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) pretend
(2) stolen
(3) victims
(4) thought
(5) scams
(6) money
(7) stealing
(8) scammers
(9) cryptocurrency
(10) upset
(11) experienced
(12) Scammers
(13) Stopping
(14) including
(15) police
(16) whole
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. scams
Answer: (M) Dishonest schemes to cheat people out of money

2. criminals
Answer: (H) People who break the law or do bad things

3. messages
Answer: (D) Written or digital notes sent to communicate with someone

4. trick
Answer: (F) To deceive someone into believing something that’s not true

5. victims
Answer: (I) People who are harmed or suffer because of someone else’s actions

6. stolen
Answer: (G) Taken illegally or without permission

7. interview
Answer: (L) A formal meeting to assess if someone is suitable for a job or task

8. convinced
Answer: (C) Persuaded someone to believe or do something

9. cryptocurrency
Answer: (K) A type of digital money that uses computer codes

10. exchange
Answer: (A) A place where different currencies or assets are traded

11. upset
Answer: (J) Feeling sad, angry, or disappointed because something bad has happened

12. target
Answer: (N) To aim at or direct efforts towards a specific group of people

13. upfront
Answer: (B) Paid or given in advance, before receiving goods or services

14. fraud
Answer: (E) The crime of deceiving people to get money

15. aware
Answer: (O) Knowing about something, being conscious or informed of a situation
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How do scammers trick people into giving them their bank details?
Answer: (c) By pretending to be a real company offering jobs

2. How much money was stolen from victims of these scams last year?
Answer: (c) Nearly £1 million

3. What happened to Bella Betterton?
Answer: (d) £3,000 was taken from her

4. How did the scammers convince Bella to give them her money?
Answer: (a) They pretended to interview her over the phone

5. What did the scammers use Bella’s information for?
Answer: (a) To make payments to a cryptocurrency exchange

6. Why did Bella have to work extra hours?
Answer: (b) To try to make up for the stolen money

7. How do scammers get important information like bank details?
Answer: (b) By targeting a lot of people and asking for a small payment upfront

8. Who needs to work together to stop fraud like this?
Answer: (d) The government, police, and businesses
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Last year, victims of these scams had over £1 million stolen from them. (Answer: False)
2. The scammers deceive people with promises of more money or work, but instead, they steal their money. (Answer: False)
3. One victim, an 18-year-old named Bella Betterton, had £2,000 taken from her after she thought she was going to a genuine job interview. (Answer: False)
4. The police believe that there are many more victims who haven’t reported what happened to them. (Answer: True)
5. Bella had been saving up for university, but most of her savings were taken by the scammers. (Answer: False)
6. The scammers tricked Bella into buying things with their money and used her information to make payments to a cryptocurrency exchange. (Answer: True)
7. Bella’s bank has refused to give her the stolen money back, but she is fighting their decision and has become more aware of the dangers in the world as a result. (Answer: True)
8. Criminals are tricking people into giving them their bank details by pretending to be real companies offering jobs. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧