Impact of Digital Scams on Senior Citizens: What are the Threats and How to Prevent Them
Kristian Li
12/23/20242 min read
The digital explosion in the 2000s made aspects in life such as communication, shopping, entertainment, and other industries easily accessible through a screen. However, the group that is the most negatively affected by the digital world are seniors. Often overlooked, the rise in internet scams targeting people of older age has caused many seniors to fall victim to fraudulent scams resulting in financial loss, identity theft, and even having their system compromised.
Why are Seniors Being Targeted?
Seniors are often being targeted by internet scams because they are likely to be unfamiliar with technology introduced after the digital explosion. Many seniors may be emotional towards losing their savings or bank accounts which causes them to react intensely towards scammers that exploit them for financial gains.
Common Scams that Seniors May Encounter
Phishing Scams - Manipulative emails, text messages, or phone calls that appear to be from legitimate sources that ask for personal information such as their social security number, bank account credentials, and credit card details
Tech Support Scams - Scammers that impersonate tech supporters from a credible source call the victim and claim that their computer was compromised or contains a virus. They then ask for remote control over their computer allowing them to control it and steal sensitive information
Online Shopping Scams - Scammers create a fake e-commerce platform that sells products from a very low price but the victims who buy the products do not receive them and the scammer may receive credit card information
How can Seniors Prevent These Scams?
Be able to identify phishing attacks: Phishing attacks are one of the most common ways that seniors might fall into. In 2023, over 101,000 people aged 60 and older reported fraud through phishing attacks towards the FBI. Signs of phishing include unrecognized emails, improper grammar or spelling, improper spelling of a large company, and unrealistic rewards such as 1 million dollar prizes
Use Strong Passwords: Using strong passwords may make the difference from having your system compromised and used for private information, passwords that have at least 8 characters, a symbol, use of lowercase and uppercase letters, and numbers are considered to be strong.
(Check your password strength: https://www.security.org/how-secure-is-my-password/)
Check for Secure Websites: When shopping online, it is important that seniors do not fall into the online shopping scams. These could usually be identified if the website is secure. If the website begins with “https://” (s for secure) with a padlock symbol, the website is secure. If not, it is best to not make transactions in that website
Seek Support: If a senior is unsure whether something is a scam or not, they should seek support from a trusted family member or friend, or report any suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Conclusion
It is of utmost importance to spread awareness towards internet scams and their impact towards seniors as many do not understand the scale of this problem. In 2023, it was reported that roughly $3.4 billion dollars were lost in fraud by people over the age of 60. Because of this growing issue, it is important that the younger generation recognizes the impact and supports seniors in navigating the complex network of the digital world. By working together, we could ensure that seniors could safely browse the internet without harm.
Sources
https://www.ncoa.org/article/what-are-the-top-online-scams-targeting-older-adults/