Spotting a trick: idioms and warning signs in a text
An idiom is a phrase with a special meaning. Too good to be true means that an offer looks so good that it is probably not honest. You cannot understand an idiom word by word, so use the context. Ask: What happened before? What did the person do next? Then choose the meaning that fits. A text about a trick often has warning signs. Common signs are: an offer that is too good to be true, a message that makes you hurry, a request for a password or private information, an unknown sender and spelling mistakes. When a text asks how a person feels, look for feeling words and for actions. Being tricked can make a person feel silly, angry or ashamed, but it can happen to anyone. The safest answer in real life is calm: do not click, do not answer, and show the message to a trusted adult. Your book has a text about trust and tricks on pages 37 and 38. Read it after this lesson and look for the same signs.
| Warning sign | Why it is a problem |
|---|---|
| Too good to be true | Nobody gives valuable things to strangers for nothing. |
| Hurry! Only ten minutes left! | Pressure stops you from thinking. |
| Asks for a password | A real shop or school never asks for it. |
| Unknown sender | You cannot check who is writing. |
Hala’s cousin Bassem showed her a message on his phone. “Free headphones for the first 100 students! Send your password now to get them. Only ten minutes left!” Bassem was excited, but Hala stopped him. She noticed three warning signs. First, the offer was too good to be true: nobody gives away free headphones to strangers. Second, the message created pressure with the words “only ten minutes left”, so that Bassem would not stop to think. Third, it asked for a password, and a real shop never asks for one. Hala told Bassem to show the message to his father and to delete it. Bassem felt a little silly, but his father said, “You were wise to ask. Many adults get tricked too.”
Check it first. Look at three advertisements or messages that a family member received. For each one, write which warning signs you can find (if any) and what a sensible person should do. Use the words suspicious, reliable and scam.