The Bankrate Financial Fraud Survey shows that the biggest increase in Americans falling prey to financial scams is younger people. Gen Zers (ages 18-28) and millennials (ages 29-44).
68% of Americans said they were the victims of a financial scam or fraud in their lifetime, and 34% said over the last year, they have had someone attempt to access their personal or financial information or have personally sent funds to a scammer.
Of Americans who’ve been scammed in the past year, almost two in five have lost money (37 percent). That includes 19 percent who lost money when someone accessed their personal information and 23 percent who sent funds to a scammer or paid for a phony service.
Most Americans who’ve faced scams or fraud in the past 12 months (90 percent) say someone accessed or attempted to access their personal financial information, such as their bank account, credit cards, or Social Security number. Yet, more than half (57 percent) say those attempts were unsuccessful.
Bankrate says they entice young people with text messages, such as “You’ve won a cash prize,” or individuals portraying themselves as recruiters offering job interviews for a fee, investment schemes, meme coins, and even threats of holding a loved one hostage.
“These scams haven’t stopped, and in fact, they have gotten worse,” said then former Florida Attorney General, now U.S. Senator Ashley Moody.
Consumers have taken action to protect themselves from scams.
Results showed that 89% of respondents said they updated their passwords, enabled two-factor authentication, avoided clicking suspicious links, set up spam filters, monitored their financial accounts, checked their credit reports, searched for common spam information, reported suspicious activity, or shredded sensitive documents.
