A new report shows tech-savvy teens are falling for online scams at higher rates than seniors.
And although seniors still remain the most victimized group overall, the surge in money lost by victims under 20 year old’s grew by 1,126-percent in the last five years.
More than $101 million was lost in online scams in 2021 alone, by people under the age of 20.
The study was done by Social Catfish, a company dedicated to preventing online scams through reverse search technology.
“Essentially we are people search company,” says Social Catfish founder David McClellan. “ We help people verify people online. And so, you know, our focus is online safety.”
The uptick might be because 54% of the households polled said they don’t monitor their kids’ activities online.
“When they’re randomly contacted by somebody, whether it be through social, social media, through email or their phones, they don’t have their spider sense up like you or I,” says McClellan. “Where we grew up in like, the don’t talk to strangers generation.”
That leaves overconfident, tech-savvy teens to be exposed to four common scams.
As tax season approaches here’s what you need to look out for to avoid being scammed.
The first is sextortion. The FBI published a warning on sextortion plots against teenage boys last year. Often, scammers pose as a female, send nude photos, and ask for the same in return. Once received, the victim is told if he does not send…
