Case File

Several weeks had passed since Nova first joined the online game her classmates had recommended. Thanks to everything she had learned from the Grade 5 Digital Ambassadors, she had updated her profile, removed personal information, created a much stronger password, and enabled extra security features on her account.

Nova still loved playing after school. She knew the game was public, meaning anyone from around the world could join the same servers. Players could chat, send friend requests, and invite one another into game lobbies.

One afternoon, Nova was matched with another player named StarPilot27.

They were about the same skill level and worked really well together. They helped each other complete difficult quests, celebrated victories together, and always encouraged one another after a tough loss.

Over the next month, Nova and StarPilot27 kept ending up online around the same time after school. Before long, they were inviting each other into their game lobbies almost every evening.

Sometimes they talked about the game.

Sometimes they laughed about funny moments during a match.

Sometimes they spent an entire evening trying to unlock a new achievement together.

Nova started looking forward to seeing StarPilot27 online.

“They’re one of my best teammates,” she thought.

Even though they had never met in person, Nova felt like she had made a real online friend.

One evening, after they had finally defeated a difficult boss they had been trying to beat for days, StarPilot27 typed, “YES!! We finally did it! 😂 You’re actually such a good teammate!” Nova laughed. “That took forever!“

They chatted for a few more minutes about the game before StarPilot27 asked, “By the way, what should I call you? Is Nova your real name or just your game name?” Nova hesitated. She remembered she didn’t need to share personal information online. “It’s just my game name,” she replied. “Haha, fair enough!” StarPilot27 answered.

The conversation quickly returned to the game.

A few days later, while they waited for another match to begin, StarPilot27 said, “I think we’re probably around the same age. I’m in middle school. What about you?”

Nova thought about answering. It seemed like a normal question between friends. “I’m still in elementary school,” she replied. That felt general enough to share. Again, the conversation moved on.

Later that week, StarPilot27 joked, “You’re always online around the same time as me. Guess we’ve got the same gaming schedule!” Nova smiled.

“Yeah, I usually play in the evenings.” Nothing about the conversation seemed unusual. After all, they had been playing together for almost a month.

One evening, while waiting for the next match to begin, StarPilot27 noticed something. “Whoa… you have the Galaxy Explorer Outfit! That’s so cool!“

Nova smiled. Her grandparents had given her a gift card for Christmas, and she had used it to buy a few special items for her account. “I‘ve always wanted that skin,” StarPilot27 replied. “It looks awesome!” Nova thanked them, and they jumped into another match.

A few days later, after they had finished another quest together, StarPilot27 sent another message. “You know what would be fun?” Nova typed back, “What?” “We should swap accounts sometime! I’ve always wanted to try the Galaxy Explorer Outfit, and you could check out all the stuff on my account too. It’d only be for a little while.“

Nova paused. She had never shared her account with anyone before. “I’m not really sure…” she replied. A few moments later another message appeared. “Come on! It’ll be fun. Lots of people let their friends use their accounts.“

Nova still didn’t answer. Then StarPilot27 sent another message. “Or you could just tell me your password. I’ll log in for five minutes, try the skin, and log right back out. I promise I won’t change anything.“

Nova felt a bit uneasy. She remembered everything the Digital Ambassadors had taught her about passwords and account security.

Before she could respond, one final message appeared. “If we’re really friends, you trust me, right? And don’t tell your parents, they’ll probably just say no because they don’t understand online games.“

Nova stared at the screen. Her excitement about playing suddenly disappeared. A few minutes ago, she had been looking forward to another game with StarPilot27. Now, something didn’t feel right.

She couldn’t quite explain why, but the conversation felt different. She thought back to everything the Digital Ambassadors had taught her about staying safe online.

The questions about her age.

The interest in her rare game items.

The request to swap accounts.

The password.

The message telling her not to tell her parents.

None of those things had seemed like a big deal on their own.

But together, they made Nova feel uneasy. She realized that even though she had spent weeks playing games with StarPilot27, she didn’t actually know who was behind the screen.

Feeling unsure about what to do next, Nova immediately sent an emergency transmission to you, one of her Digital Ambassadors.

“Digital Ambassadors, StarPilot27 seemed like such a good friend. We played together for weeks, and I trusted them. But now something doesn’t feel right, and I’m not exactly sure why. Did I miss any warning signs? What should I do now?”

Your Mission:

Help Nova investigate her online friendship with StarPilot27. Work together to identify the warning signs, decide when an online friendship becomes unsafe, and help Nova make smart choices to protect herself, her personal information, and her game account.