Fourteen-year-old Merub was an online gaming enthusiast; she spent most of her time on the PC playing games. Her favourite game was DreamCrafter.

She preferred playing at night, as it was quiet then and it gave her the incredible opportunity to play with BlockBoss — her favourite and the most renowned player in the game. He was unbeatable, known for his lightning-fast reflexes, strategic brilliance and calm under pressure.

One evening, after dinner, she went into her room and turned on her PC. As she entered her game lobby, she saw that BlockBoss had also joined the game.

She yelled with joy. Hearing her scream, her elder brother Sarim entered the room and asked what had happened.

“Sarim Bhai, you know BlockBoss, right?”

He nodded.

“He’s in the same lobby and has joined my game. I can’t wait to play with him!” she said, full of excitement.

Sarim raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed with a smile.

Before leaving the room, he smiled and said, “Good luck with the game!”

Merub happily stared at the screen. Just then, a message appeared in large, vivid letters: “CONGRATS, MERUB! A BRAND NEW IPAD IS YOURS! TO GET IT, CLICK HERE.”

A small disclaimer underneath said: “LIMITED OFFER — just five minutes left.”

Merub was both thrilled and shocked. Before she could respond, another message popped up in the game’s chat box.

It was from BlockBoss: “Hey guys, did you get a message about your online prize? Only our good, consistent players are eligible for this! This is your opportunity — act quickly.”

Merub quickly typed: “Oh, really? So, can I get this in real?”

“Yes, Merub!” BlockBoss answered.

Feeling a rush of excitement, and tempted by the iPad, Merub clicked the prize message. There were just three minutes left! A new page opened, asking for her home address, phone number and credit card details to claim the prize.

Messages from “BlockBoss” kept popping up: “Guys, don’t miss the chance!” — which encouraged her even more.

“He’s right, I shouldn’t miss this,” she thought. She began filling in the form. But when she got to the credit card number field, she paused — then dashed to Sarim’s room.

“Can you give me your credit card number?” she asked.

“Why?” he asked, puzzled.

“I’ve won an iPad!” she said breathlessly. “It might be from BlockBoss — a reward for good players. Please hurry, there’s only a minute left!”

Sarim’s face darkened. “Why would they need a credit card number if it’s a prize?”

“I don’t know,” said Merub. “Maybe for confirmation?”

“Show me that pop-up message,” he said.

“Okay, but please hurry!” she insisted.

Sarim glanced at the screen. “Ohh... Merub,” he said solemnly, “this is a fraud, a complete scam. I’m so glad you didn’t submit my details. My bank account could have been drained.”

Merub was taken aback. “How is this even possible? BlockBoss himself said it was real,” she tried to reason.

“Are you sure this is the real BlockBoss profile?” Sarim asked.

Merub looked up the username. Her eyes widened — it was BlockBoss_99, not BlockBoss99!

“There you go,” said Sarim. “It’s a fake account trying to trick users. Report it and leave the lobby. They might even try to hack your account.”

“Oh… how silly of me not to notice something like that,” said Merub. “I could have fallen for it.”

Sarim reassured her, “Just avoid clicking on pop-ups next time — they can carry malware and infect your computer.”

That day, Merub learnt a valuable lesson — always double-check and don’t fall for internet scams. If it looks too good to be true — it probably is.

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 2nd, 2025