Summer on the Farm: Helen Skelton discusses ‘mischief’
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Helen Skelton, 39, is a mum to three young children: Ernie, seven, Louis, five, and seven-month-old Elsie. As the world becomes increasingly tech obsessed, Helen has shared her worries about the realities of gaming fraud and wants children to be equipped to spot a scam.
The Summer On The Farm presenter’s concerns are particularly relatable as she confesses that she is not “massively tech-savvy” and gaming is not “her world”.
She explained in an interview with Express.co.uk: “I am a parent of a seven-year-old who likes online gaming.
“It is a new thing for him, he doesn’t really do it but his friends talk about it and he wants to get involved in that world; but it’s not my world.”
Helen has now joined forces with Lloyds Bank’s #FraudsNoGame campaign to inform parents how they can protect their children when gaming online.
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She continued: “It’s about kids being alert and conscious. So, for me, this was a good opportunity to have those conversations and be aware and be alert.
“It is a lot of the unknown if you are not a gamer or you are not massively tech-savvy.
“If you are a parent who is busy and has got things to do, then there is a very good chance that things fly under the radar and that’s just life, that’s just parenting, you are trying to split yourself in a million different ways.”
This campaign is particularly important to Helen because she herself has fallen victim to scammers and was conned out of her £70,000 life savings.
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Opening up about her ordeal, the presenter recalled: “A few years ago, I was caught out by what I thought was a new TV licence.
“I got caught out because it was actually a scam and they took my bank details from the site where I put in the TV licence details. I lost quite a lot of money.
“Luckily, I worked with the bank and I managed to get it back, but the trouble was that I felt really embarrassed and like it was a stupid mistake.”
Helen and Lloyds Bank are encouraging parents to be more aware of the dangers online and have those conversations with their children.
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She said: “So many people fall victim to online fraud, so many people. It happens to people every day of the week and it is really hard to catch.
“We are encouraging people to go to the askaboutgames website and just entertain and integrate the SHIELD code into their lives.”
The SHIELD code stands for screening chats from strangers, hiding personal data, investigating gaming-related purchases and evaluating downloads, locking internet networks and delinking bank details.
Research from Lloyds reveals over 38 percent of parents have never spoken to their children about staying safe from fraud online and 40 percent worry they are leaving the family finances open to fraud as a result.
Helen concluded: “Ultimately, online is a space that kids should be able to go into and do their thing, but it is worth being aware and keeping a track on what can or might happen.”
Helen Skelton has partnered with Lloyds Bank’s Fraud’s No Game Campaign, helping parents to protect children from video gaming fraud. Visit https://www.askaboutgames.com/
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