Elderly Ohioans have lost over $51 million to online scams; tips to protect yourself
From fake investments to scam sweepstake campaigns, the worldwide web has proven to be a dangerous place for Ohio’s elderly adults susceptible to scams.
According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in Ohio, the adult population over the age of 60 have lost millions to something known as grandparent scams.
In 2022, there were a total of 3,099 elderly fraud victims, averaging 104.9 victims per 100,000 elderly residents, according to the FBI.
Ohioans over the age of 60 lost over $51 million to fraud, about $16,470 lost per victim.
Cybersecurity researchers with VPNPro looked at which types of scams adults over the age of 60 are most likely to fall victim to.
In 2022, the most lucrative type of fraud targeting elderly adults online was investment scams.
Romantic offers for money and false business offers are also at the top of the list for most popular among scammers.
According to VPN, online users over 60 years old were 517% more likely to be victims of a tech support scam than those aged between 18 and 59.
Elderly adults are less likely to fall for online shopping fraud and fake check scams.
“Analyzing data on elderly fraud victims and losses by state can help policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and advocacy groups better understand the underlying factors contributing to financial exploitation of the elderly. It can also inform targeted interventions and resource allocation to mitigate the impact of fraud and protect vulnerable individuals,” said Šarūnas Karbauskas, technical writer at VPNPro.
Tips to protect from scams
AARP recommends setting up privacy settings on social media accounts, as well as verifying identities of anyone you’re talking to online.
Don’t volunteer personal information and be wary of requests for payments.
If something seems suspicious, like misspelled words or promises that seem too good to be true, block or report the user.
AARP says to stay calm; scammers want you to get mad or emotional, then you’ll be more likely to make impulse spending decisions.
If you lose money to a scammer, the first thing to do is call your bank or Western Union’s fraud hotline if you wired money.
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This story was originally published May 15, 2024 at 3:25 PM.
