New data from Finder has revealed one in five Australian kids has fallen victim to a scam in the past 12 months.

Hackers are targeting children by infiltrating online games and social media, sending unsuspecting kids what appears to be a harmless message or link.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Kids targeted by hackers in online games

But inadvertently downloading the malicious software is leading to account theft and identity fraud.

SafetyNet Cyber Security specialises in protection and recovery for victims.

Director J. Keating has seen an increase in cases of hackers planting malicious links in fake giveaways or video streams.

“Video game related phishing or malicious links ... we’ve had a dozen in the last week,” he said.

Children are tricked into downloading software, often related to M

See Full Page