Younger generations more likely than boomers to fall for online scams: Study

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They used to say that if you want to figure out a computer issue, ask a young person.

But younger generations were three times more likely to have fallen for an online scam compared to baby boomers — those aged 60 and above — in 2022, according to a 2023 study by Deloitte.

The Cybersecurity Attitudes and Behaviors Report 2023 said 43% of gen Z and 36% of millennials reported having been victims of cybercrimes, more than the silent generation (20%) and baby boomers (15%).

So what’s the disconnect?

“I had to do a double take on that myself,” said Calgary-based Jane Arnett, a cybersecurity specialist at Check Point.

“(But) the younger someone is, the more connected (online) they’re likely to be. Now your average home has more than 15 internet-connected devices. Just with being more connected gives you more opportunity to be seen, to be scammed.”

You can also blame their parents, apparently.

“I think as well, as a lot of these people in the gen Z and even millennials (generations), their parents put all of their information on Facebook, for example,” said Arnett.

“Like, how many parents were filling out things about their kids and what their favourite colour is, their first pet’s name, that’s all of their password reset questions, really. I think it’s easier to target younger people because there’s more information about them out on the internet, which creates an opportunity for a better phishing attempt.”

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At the same time, boomers are sharing less personal information about themselves, while teaching generations older than themselves.

“Sharing less about themselves versus sharing about their kids, maybe,” said Arnett.

“I think as well, maybe, that’s a generation — like boomers all got technical, right? They all had to use computers. They all use the internet. But they had to teach their parents about technology as computers and the internet were first disseminated and popularized. And I think that experience of teaching their parents about even ATMs and things like that was an experience that maybe (led to), ‘Teach someone (else) and you’re going to remember (cybersecurity) better.”

Arnett said the three big ways to keep yourself safe online is keeping your software and hardware up to date, using strong passwords and using security technology.

“I think those are three very simple steps that can make a big impact,” she said.