Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Online Scams and Attacks in America Today
(Pew Research Center illustration; photo via Getty Images)
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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