Gray-haired folk have long held “most scammed” status, but it may be time to pass on that unfortunate legacy. While the retirement-aged are targeted most often, increasing data shows that it’s millennials — our children and grandchildren ages 18 to 35 — who are most likely to lose money to fraudsters. Consider these recent findings:
Phone scams. About 1 in 10 American adults lost an estimated $9.5 billon to phone scams last year. Leading the pack were millennial men between ages 18 and 34, who were three times more likely to be victimized than the overall population, reports mobile communications company Truecaller, which offers a spam-blocking phone app. Its Harris-conducted survey of 2,000 adults finds that 33 percent of male mills report losing money to phone scammers; that compares to just 3 percent of males between ages 55 and 64 and 1 percent of men 65 and older. Meanwhile, some 11 percent of female millennials got duped, four times the rate of women 55 and older.
IRS imposter scams. Among the scariest and most successful phone scams: calls from self-described IRS agents threatening arrest, property seizure or deportation. Although millennials are less likely than Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1984) or boomers (born 1946 to 1964) to receive tax scam calls, they are six times more likely to reveal credit card and Social Security numbers and other sensitive information, finds another just-released survey of 1,000 adults. Roughly 17 percent of millennials confessed that they had forked over ID theft-worthy details to mystery callers who could cite the last four digits of their Social Security number (as tax scammers often do), compared to only 3 percent of Gen Xers and 2 percent of boomers.
Job scams. Overall, about 1 in 6 job seekers have been scammed while searching for work online, and the highest gotcha rate is among that generation considered the most tech-savvy — millennials. In a 2015 survey of 2,600 American adults, job-search website FlexJobs finds that 20 percent of millennial job seekers got scammed, compared to 13 percent of those in their 60s.
Tech support scams. Millennials, especially men between 18 and 35, are the most often targeted and leading scammer-paying victims tricked by phony pop-up ads or alerts warning of a crippling computer virus. The top danger zone to snag most-duped male mills in these tech support scams: porn websites.
Everyday fraud. In its own research of more than 2,000 adults last year, the Better Business Bureau finds that some 30 percent of those between ages 25 and 34 lost money to scammers; it’s only single digits among those 55 and older.
What explains these trends? As experts continue to study the “whys,” the leading theories:
- We’re better prepared. Older is wiser — at least when it comes to recognizing that we’re vulnerable to scams. And heeding news, advice and warnings by AARP’s Fraud Watch Network and others, we are better able to spot scams and act accordingly. Tracking some 30,000 consumers targeted in different schemes, the BBB finds that nearly 9 in 10 seniors recognized the scam in time, with only 11 percent reporting they lost money. Millennials, meanwhile, lose money three times more often, likely being duped because they are clueless or could care less about educating themselves to prevent scams.
- Millennials think they’re invulnerable. Ask mills to describe the typical scam victim and their usual reply: an elderly, naive woman with less income and education. (The reality is younger college graduates have the highest gotcha rates.) While scam-savvy oldsters know that anyone is vulnerable, some researchers believe that millennials are most likely to have an “invulnerability illusion” — the belief that other people are more vulnerable than themselves. That mindset leads to more impulsive decision-making.
- They overuse and overtrust technology. Raised with the internet and cellphones, the average millennial, studies say, spends about 18 hours per day using some type of digital media. Because they are so familiar and comfortable with technology, defenses (and common sense radar) can take a back seat. Compared with other age groups, millennials are more likely to be careless with their tech — such as not using passwords to lock computers and cellphones and accessing financial accounts and doing online shopping on risky public Wi-Fi.
- They overshare. Tweets about breakfast. Selfies over lunch. Millennials love to share their lives online with who-knows-who, and that often includes details best kept private — names, birth dates, likes and dislikes, and other personal information that could be used for identity theft and scam-targeting sucker lists. Promise them a prize or other “tangible benefits,” and the majority of millennials willingly share their personal information with even unrecognized online askers. And guess which age group, says online security firm Norton, most likely willy-nilly shares their computer and cellphone passwords? No surprise (again): those between 18 and 34.
For information about other scams, sign up for the Fraud Watch Network. You’ll receive free email alerts with tips and resources to help you spot and avoid identity theft and fraud, and keep tabs of scams and law enforcement alerts in your area at our Scam-Tracking Map.
Photo: iStock/Zinkevych
Also of Interest
- From pop-up warnings to $9 million payout: Inside the tech support scams
- A New Beed of Con Artists
- Get help: Find out if you’re eligible for public benefits with Benefits QuickLINK
- Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being
See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.
