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Check With a Trusted Adult

Checking with a trusted adult before responding to any money-related offer turns an exciting or urgent message into a calm decision — and is the single habit that defeats most scams aimed at young people.

In this lesson

Check With a Trusted Adult is part of Year-Round Tax Planning. This preview shows how tax-planning connects to everyday family decisions such as earning, saving, spending choices, goals, approvals, or parent-guided money conversations inside Progress Penguin.

Think about this money choice

Chukwu sees an offer online that looks too good to be true.

How it works

When any offer, message, or request involving money feels exciting, urgent, or too good to be true, the first action is not to respond — it is to check with a trusted adult before doing anything. A trusted adult can assess the offer calmly, verify its legitimacy, and help you decide what to do without the pressure of urgency.

Try a real-life example

Real-life money moment: Chukwu sees an online offer: buy shares in a new company and double your money in 30 days. He is about to click 'invest' when he decides to show his dad first. His dad immediately identifies it as a common investment scam. Thirty seconds of checking saves Chukwu his savings.

Activity preview

Choose the best money move

Use what you just learned. Choose the option you can explain.

Try one real money action

Open Tasks and submit proof for one task, or open Requests and make a deposit request. Parent approval can happen later.

Quiz preview

Checking With a Trusted Adult when something feels wrong means:

Describing the situation to someone experienced before taking any action
Only telling an adult if you have already lost money in the situation
Waiting until you are certain it is a scam before raising the alarm
Contacting the sender first to clarify before approaching any adult

You receive a financial message that confuses you. Before responding, you should:

Accept the message as genuine since it uses formal, official language
Forward it to a friend your own age who might recognise the brand
Show it to a trusted adult and get their opinion before doing anything
Reply to the sender asking them to explain the offer more clearly
Check With a Trusted Adult | Financial Literacy for Kids | Progress Penguin