By Osaji Obi
A new study found tech-savvy teens are falling for online scams at a higher rate than seniors.
In the last five years, money lost by Victims 20 and younger grew nearly 2,500% from 2017 to 2022 compared to 805% for seniors.
Victims under 20 lost $8.2 million in 2017 compared to $210 million in 2022. Seniors remain by far the most victimized group overall losing $3.1 billion in 2022, but the surge of young victims speaks to the growing sophistication of scammers.
Social Catfish – a reverse search technology company – released a study on the State of Internet Scams 2023 using 2023 data from the FBI IC3 and FTC.
Overall, a record $10.3 billion was lost to online scams in 2022, up from $6.9 billion.
Florida is the No. 2 most-scammed state with 42,792 victims losing $844 million.
Young people should remain vigilant when they socialize, work, date and play games online.
Here are 5 Common Scams Targeting Teens in 2023:
1) Social Media Influencer Scam: Teens idolize their favorite influencers. Scammers will create fake accounts that look just like the actual influencers’ account. They host a fake brand-sponsored contest and ask the “winner” to pay a fee or provide their bank account to win the prize.
How to Avoid: Only follow the official influencer account, fake accounts have fewer followers. Never send money or bank information to anyone you do not know.
2) Romance Scams: Scammers steal photos of good-looking people and target young, vulnerable people online. They make the victim fall in love and begin asking for money.
How to Avoid: Perform a reverse search to confirm their identity. If they will not video chat or meet, they are a scammer.
3) Sextortion Scams: Teens use smartphones for sexting which has now led to sextortion. Scammers pose as an attractive person; they send an explicit image and ask for one in return. Once received, the scammers threaten to make the photo public if a ransom is not paid. Many teen sextortion victims take their own lives.
How to Avoid: Never send explicit images online or by phone. If the person you are falling for will not meet or video chat think twice before sending anything.
4) Online Gaming In-App Purchases: When online gaming, players can make in-app purchases to enhance the gaming experience. Scammers are tricking children into giving credit card information and downloading malware for nonexistent rewards.
How to Avoid: Only make purchases directly from the game’s manufacturer.
5) Online Shopping: Fake websites are created that look like an online store selling items at a huge discount. If you buy, the item never arrives, they pocket the money and steal your credit card and personal information for future online theft.
How to Avoid: Make sure the website is not full of typos. If the “customer service” email is “gmail.com” or “yahoo.com” that is a red flag. Research the company.
If you are the victim of a scam or attempted scam report it to the FTC, IC3, FBI and IdentityTheft.gov.
Read The Full Report
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
