More than 8 in 10 say older adults are likely to fall victim to online scams; far fewer say this of younger adults | Pew Research Center

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July 29, 2025

Online Scams and Attacks in America Today

More than 8 in 10 say older adults are likely to fall victim to online scams; far fewer say this of younger adults

More than 8 in 10 say older adults are likely to fall victim to online scams; far fewer say this of younger adults

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More than 8 in 10 say older adults are likely to fall victim to online scams; far fewer say this of younger adults

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Online Scams and Attacks in America Today
Roughly three-quarters of Americans have experienced an online scam or attack
Majorities of all age groups have had an online scam happen to them; White adults are less likely than others to say 3 or more have happened
A majority of Americans say they get scam calls, emails and texts at least weekly
About 1 in 5 U.S. adults report losing money to an online scam or attack, but this varies by age, race and income
3 in 10 Americans who’ve lost money to an online scam say it had a significant impact on their finances
Most of those who’ve lost money to an online scam never contacted law enforcement
More than 8 in 10 say older adults are likely to fall victim to online scams; far fewer say this of younger adults
Most adults say they know at least a fair amount for how to avoid falling for an online scam or attack
Online scams and attacks widely viewed as a major problem in the U.S.
Majorities of adults across age groups see online scams as a major problem, though less so among younger adults
Majorities say online scams and attacks are a major problem on texts and calls, email, and social media
Most Americans say AI will make online scams and attacks more common-12
Majorities say the government and tech companies are failing to curb online scams and attacks
Share of Americans who have experienced specific types of scams and online attacks, by demographic group-01
Share of Americans who have experienced specific types of scams and online attacks, by demographic group (cont.)
Share of Americans who say they get scam messages at least weekly, by demographic group
Views of whether online scams and attacks are a problem, by demographic group
Invitation and reminder dates for web respondents, ATP Wave 168
American Trends Panel weighting dimensions-02
Sample sizes and margins of error, ATP Wave 168
Final dispositions, ATP Wave 168
Cumulative response rate, ATP Wave 168-05