Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 4 hrs ago
Younger people are more likely than older adults to fall for scams, study finds
A 2026 Bitdefender study found that younger consumers were more likely to fall victim to scams than people aged 55 and older.
It put the victimisation rate at 20% for younger generations and 9.7% for older adults.
The study says younger people may face greater exposure because they spend more time on social platforms, messaging apps, games and other online services.
Scams aimed at people of any age include fake bank messages, investment offers, job offers and delivery alerts.
Artificial intelligence can make these scams more convincing.
Keeping devices updated, using unique passwords and multi-factor authentication, and installing apps only from official stores can help reduce risks.
The study also advises caution with links in texts, emails, messaging apps and social media, especially when they demand urgent action.
A Bitdefender report found younger consumers were more likely than older adults to fall victim to scams.
The 2026 Global Scam Intelligence Report put the victimisation rate at 20 per cent for younger generations and 9.7 per cent for people aged 55 and older.
The article says younger people’s greater time online may expose them to more scams.
Scams can target people of all ages through channels including text messages, social media, voice calls and email.
Bitdefender recommends using strong, unique passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication and taking care with links.
- Who
- Younger consumers were more likely to fall victim to scams than people aged 55 and older.
- What
- Bitdefender’s report found a 20 per cent victimisation rate among younger generations, compared with 9.7 per cent among people aged 55 and older.
- When
- The report is the 2026 Global Scam Intelligence Report. The article was published on 12 October 2026.
- Where
- Online, including social platforms, gaming environments, messaging apps and other digital services.
- Why
- The article says younger people spend more time online, where scammers deliver scams.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Report
- Bitdefender’s 2026 Global Scam Intelligence Report
- Younger generations
- 20 per cent victimisation rate
- People aged 55 and older
- 9.7 per cent victimisation rate
- Article publication
- 12 October 2026
What people are saying
One explanation is that scammers follow attention. Younger users spend more time on social platforms, gaming environments, messaging apps and fast-moving digital services, which are now major scam delivery channels.
Unpatched phones are easier targets. Use strong, unique passwords and a password manager, and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible. Prefer app-based authentication or passkeys over SMS codes where available, because SMS is heavily abused in scam and phishing campaigns.
Be careful with links received through SMS, WhatsApp, email or social media, especially when they involve banking, delivery, tax refunds, account verification or urgent payments.
Sources
Related news
Cyberattack defrosts refrigerators at French supermarket chains
Ledger confirms tampered wallets linked to CryptoBilis fund thefts
Malware incident at contractor may expose 8.7 million karaoke records
Critical SonicWall flaw faces exploitation days after patch
Canadian cybersecurity executive arrested on federal extortion charges
Identity systems are a key part of cyber recovery planning
Canadian cybersecurity executive arrested in FBI ShinyHunters investigation
Pentagon data breach affected more than 3 million people
Cyberattack disrupts refrigeration systems at French supermarkets
Albert Heijn systems remain offline after cybersecurity incident
