Many elderly adults in the UK are vulnerable to cybercriminals and are frequently targeted by fraud attacks.
According to a study from the University of Portsmouth, 40% of respondents reported experiencing online fraud. Three-quarters of these attacks targeted seniors’ mobile phones, with 60% of the attempts made through phone calls and around 11% via text messages. Criminals called seniors so persistently that many of the study’s respondents said the constant harassment adversely affected their mental health.
“Seniors are especially vulnerable because of the socially engineered techniques cybercriminals rely upon,” said Tracy Kitten, Director of Fraud and Security at Javelin Strategy & Research. “A sense of urgency and threatening rhetoric make victims feel as if they’ve been backed into a corner. It’s a tactic that is particularly effective with seniors, especially when they fear a loved one might be in danger or that they could face some kind of penalty or fine if they don’t immediately comply with the criminal’s requests.”
Particularly Vulnerable
In the U.S., fraud attacks by phone calls aren’t as prevalent as they are in the UK. According to recent data from the FTC, U.S. criminals are more likely to impersonate top companies like Amazon, Best Buy, and PayPal in fraudulent emails and text messages.
Phone calls comprised 32% of fraud attacks in the U.S. last year, down from 67% a few years ago. Regardless of the method, fraud is rising worldwide, and seniors are particularly vulnerable. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center recently reported that fraud complaints among U.S. adults over the age of 60 were up 11% year-over-year in 2023.
Quality of Life
The heightened vulnerability among the elderly has made them persistent targets for criminals. The UK study also found that two-thirds of respondents had experienced at least one fraud attempt in the past six months, while 20% reported encountering a fraud attack every week.
“Even though many older adults understand these are fraud (attempts) and quickly hang up, for some, these attempts have significant impacts,” said Mark Button, Director of the University of Portsmouth’s Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime and author of the study. “More research needs to be conducted to explore the impact of attempted fraud on individuals’ fear of crime and quality of life among all age groups.”
