المعجم: phishing, scam, doxxing · البرمجة مع مارتن

Three terms, no scare stories

A teacher says “phishing” and half the class stares at the ceiling. That is fine. They are foreign words. You do not need them for a test. You need to know what it is and what you will do.

Here are three. In plain language is enough. When you hear them in the news or in a talk, you will not be lost. And when you make a campaign for the class, you will be able to write a sentence without scare stories.

Phishing — someone pretends to be school, a game, transport or “Microsoft” and wants you to click and type a password. It is not magic. It is a disguise. The goal is simple: so you behave as if you were talking to someone you know.

Scam — a trick about money or a “prize”. They want a transfer, an SMS code, a gift card, or “you send first”. It often looks like a shop, a discount or a friend who ran out of money.

Doxxing — they publish things about you that you did not want: name, school, address, a photo from chat. Even a “joke” in a group can be that. Even “I will find you” in a lobby. Even a caption under a photo where a house number is visible.

You do not have to use the words. You can say: “Someone is pretending to be school and wants a password.” That is phishing in plain language. An adult will get it.

💡

If you are not sure which word it is, do not fuss over the glossary. Deal with the method: I do not click, I do not send, I tell an adult. We can add the name later. Protection does not wait for the right term.

How you spot it — signs, not a how-to

We will not build a fake message. We will read signs. Like when you see a car indicating a turn: you see the signal, you do not need to know how the indicator is made.

Signs of a disguise (phishing):

Rush. “Now”, “or we will cancel the account”, “last chance”.
It wants a secret. كلمة المرور, PIN, SMS code, “verify your account”.
The sender does not fit. The name looks familiar, the address does not. Or an address you never see at school.
A link that, when you hold it, shows somewhere else than the text promises.

Signs of a money trick (scam):

A prize you know nothing about. You did not enter a draw.
A price that is ridiculously low.
A payment “just a different way” than you are used to at home.
Pressure to tell parents only afterwards.

Signs of publishing (doxxing):

Someone passes on your name, school, photo, address without you.
A “joke” in a group that can find you outside.
Sharing a chat screenshot where you are, and you do not want the whole class to see it.

When you see a sign, stop. You do not have to prove “whether this time it is different”. The sign is enough for you to show an adult.

What to do with it — one sentence

Word	In plain language	You do
Phishing	A disguise for a password	Do not click. Show an adult.
Scam	A trick about money or a prize	Do not send money or a code.
Doxxing	They publish what you did not want	Screenshot. Tell a teacher / parent.

Details are in Hunter (messages and prizes) and in Broadcaster (photos and reputation). For now the glossary is enough. When you hear the word, you will know which column it belongs to.

Before you delete the message, take a screenshot. Date, name, text. Then block. Deleting does not stop the trap. Proof helps the teacher.

⚠️

Do not build a “practice” fake email for a classmate. Not even “so we see who clicks”. That is not a campaign. That is hurting people. On a poster belong the signs (rush, weird address, wants a password), not a copy of the scam.

What to say in your own words

This is training for the campaign and for the table at home. Say it to a sibling or a parent. If you can explain it, you can spot it.

Phishing:

“Someone dresses up as school or a game and wants me to click and type a password. I do not click. I show it to you.”

Scam:

“Someone promises a prize or a cheap thing for a game and wants money or an SMS code. If I did not enter a draw, I did not win. I do not send the code.”

Doxxing:

“Someone puts out things about me that I did not want. I take a screenshot and tell a teacher or you. I do not delete it straight away.”

If you panic and only say “someone is weird”, that is enough too. An adult will ask more.

Three words can meet

One message can be a disguise and a prize. It rushes, pretends to be a game, wants an SMS code. You do not have to pick one word like in a test. You say: “It rushes, it wants a code, the sender is weird.” An adult will attach the name later. Meanwhile you already do not click.

In class the words like to be used as an insult. “You are a scam.” “That is phishing, you idiot.” That is not what the course wants. Words are tools. Not a swear. On the campaign write in plain language. A classmate from year 8 and from year 3 should get the method, not English.

When a teacher says phishing and you only know the plain sentence, that is enough. You can put your hand up and say: “That is the disguise for a password, right?” Then the glossary did its job. You do not have to recite it by heart.

A short talk at the board

Teacher: “What do you do when a message rushes and wants a password?”

You: “I do not click. I show it to you or a parent. Screenshot before deleting.”

That is the whole test. The rest are names, so you can talk about it.

If you mix the words up, it does not matter. Phishing is a disguise. Scam is money or a prize. Doxxing is outside what should have stayed with you. Three drawers. One hand: I do not click, I do not send, screenshot, an adult.

How it fits the projects

🏫 Campaign for the class. Put three plain sentences on the poster, not three English words. A classmate from year 5 should know what to do, not how to inflect the word.

👤 Safer profile. The less school, surname and address on the profile, the less material for doxxing. A nickname and a game are enough.

🏠 Family rules. One sentence: When a message rushes and wants a password, a code or money, we do not click and we show a parent.

Now you 💪

Tell a parent or a sibling one of those words in your own words. If you can explain it, you can spot it.

Pick one word: phishing, scam, or doxxing.
Say it in plain language, without reading from the screen. One to three sentences.
Ask: “What would I do?” The answer should be: I do not click / I do not send / screenshot and an adult.

✅

التحضير تم. You can say three words in plain language and you know what to do with them. Next we go to passwords — Key keeper.

What to take from this lesson

Phishing = a disguise for a password. I do not click, I show an adult.
Scam = a trick about money. I do not send a code or a transfer.
Doxxing = they publish what you did not want. Screenshot, then an adult.
The name of the word matters less than the method.
On a campaign belong signs and what to do, not a practice scam.