This study provides K-12 students, as well as parents/guardians, with an understanding of the concept of plagiarism in an online academic environment. The authors begin with real world scenarios that allow the reader to understand the setting and context of the problem. The impact of plagiarism is explored through a cost benefit analysis from each stakeholder's point of view utilizing power, probability of importance, and probability of occurrence. The authors attempt to explain how plagiarism affects three major stakeholders: school system/educator, student/parent and author/publisher. Finally, the authors answer the scenario questions to provide insight into the concept of plagiarism and how it could have been avoided.