When people think of scams, they may think that older people are the most targeted victims.
But that’s not always the case.
A new study found that tech-savvy teens are falling for online scams at a higher rate than senior citizens.
The money lost by victims under 20 years old grew by 1,125% over the last five years compared to 390% for seniors, according to
study on the state of internet scams in 2022, using data from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and the Federal Trade Commission.
Teens lost just $8.2 million in 2017 compared to a whopping $101.4 million last year.
Seniors remain by far the most victimized group overall – losing $1.68 billion last year – but SocialCatfish.Com points out that the surge of Gen Z victims is alarming and speaks to the growing sophistication of scammers.
Minnesota is the No. 20 most-scammed state in the nation with 5,844 victims losing $83,712,410 in 2021. Nationally, a record $6.9 billion was lost to online scams in 2021, up nearly double from $3.5 billion in 2019 prior to the pandemic.
Consumers can protect themselves and their cash by being aware of the tricks scammers are dreaming up. Here’s SocialCatfish’s list of four common scams that target teens and how to avoid them:
“Sextortion.” The FBI announced a dramatic increase in “Sextortion” plots against teenage boys. Scammers pose as attractive females on social media, send nude…
