Who Gets Scammed the Most?

When it comes to scams, there are plenty of stereotypes about who is most likely to be a victim. These stereotypes often paint older adults as the most susceptible, but this assumption doesn't align with the data. 

While it's true that seniors are targeted because scammers go where the money is and many older adults have large retirement nest eggs, research from the Federal Trade Commission shows that other age groups are also at risk. 

For example, younger adults are more likely to report that they have been victims of fraud, according to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network 2024 Data Book. Older adults, on the other hand, file far fewer fraud complaints but lose significantly more money per incident. 

These findings highlight the need to challenge age-based assumptions and recognize that anyone, regardless of age, can be targeted by scammers. What’s important to know is the impact scams have across the various age groups. 

Scam victims in their 20s

Twentysomethings were more likely to report losing money to fraud than any other age group, according to the FTC. However, the median loss per victim was lower than for older victims.

• Percentage reporting a fraud loss: 44% of 20- to 29-year-olds who filed fraud reports in 2024 reported losing money
• Median loss: $417 per victim
• Total losses: $430 million

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The most common way that scammers made contact with victims in their 20s was through social media. This makes sense considering that 78% of adults in this age group use Instagram, 62% use TikTok and 93% use YouTube, according to Pew Research Center. The top fraud for this age group involved online shopping. And twentysomethings were the most likely of any age group to lose money to fraud through payment apps.

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Scam victims in their 30s

People in their 30s were less likely than twentysomethings to report losing money to fraud. However, the total amount of money this age group lost was nearly double the amount that younger adults reported losing, according to the FTC.

• Percentage reporting a fraud loss: 40% of 30- to 39-year-olds who filed fraud reports in 2024 reported losing money
• Median loss: $450 per victim
• Total losses: $810 million

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What’s notable is that adults 30 to 39 had the highest number of identity theft reports of any age group, according to the FTC. Scammers were most likely to contact this age group through social media and other websites. Credit cards were the most common form of payment thirtysomethings used when fraud occurred. And the top fraud people in their 30s reported involved online shopping. 

Scam victims in their 40s

As the age of victims rises, so do fraud losses. Although adults in their 40s filed fewer reports than younger adults, their total fraud losses and median loss per incident were higher, according to the FTC.

• Percentage reporting a fraud loss: 38% of 40- to 49-year-olds who filed fraud reports in 2024 reported losing money
• Median loss: $500 per victim
• Total losses: $971 million

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Like thirtysomethings, this age group was most likely to be contacted by scammers through social media or other websites. Credit cards were the top payment method in fraud reports by adults in their 40s, followed by payment apps and debit cards. And online shopping scams topped the list of fraud types they reported.

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As the age of victims rises, so do fraud losses.

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Scam victims in their 50s

Total fraud losses for fiftysomethings topped $1 billion in 2024, according to the FTC. The median fraud loss per victim also was higher for this age group than younger age groups despite the fact that adults in their 50s were less likely to file fraud complaints.

• Percentage reporting a fraud loss: 35% of 50- to 59-year-olds who filed fraud reports in 2024 reported losing money
• Median loss: $520 per victim
• Total losses: $1 billion

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Scammers are most likely to contact fiftysomethings in the same way they contact younger adults: through social media and websites. However, this age group was more likely to report that they were impacted by romance scams, where someone pretends to be a love interest then asks for money. This type of scam didn’t make it into the top five most reported scams of any younger age groups.

Scam victims in their 60s

Fraud losses continued to rise along with the age of victims, with victims in their 60s losing nearly $1.2 billion to fraud and scams in 2024, according to the FTC.

• Percentage reporting a fraud loss: 29% of 60- to 69-year-olds who filed fraud reports in 2024 reported losing money
• Median loss: $691 per victim
• Total losses: $1.2 billion

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Adults in their 60s also named romance scams as one of the top five frauds that impacted them. The prevalence of romance scam victims among older adults could have something to do with the surge in the divorce rate for older adults. A study by Bowling Green State University found that divorce rates among adults 65 and older has tripled over the last several decades.

Find out what to do if someone is a victim of a romance scam.

Scam victims in their 70s

Less than one-fourth of adults in their 70s filed fraud reports in 2024, according to the FTC. However, the median loss per victim was more than twice as much as the median loss among twentysomethings: $1,000 versus $417. 

• Percentage reporting a fraud loss: 24% of 70- to 79-year-olds who filed fraud reports in 2024 reported losing money
• Median loss: $1,000 per victim
• Total losses: $887 million

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Scammers were more likely to contact this age group by phone than any other method. Another big difference is in how victims in their 70s lost money to scams. Gift cards were one of the most common payment methods. 

This age group also was more likely to report losing money to tech support scams than younger adults. These scams typically begin with a call from someone claiming to be a computer technician with a well-known company. They claim that there is a problem with your computer and ask for remote access to fix it. Once in your computer, they can steal all sorts of information.

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The median loss of fraud victims who were 80 and older was four times the median loss of victims in their 20s. 

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Scam victims 80 and older

The oldest adults were the least likely to file fraud complaints but reported the highest loss per victim of any age group. In fact, the median loss of fraud victims who were 80 and older was four times the median loss of victims in their 20s. 

• Percentage reporting a fraud loss: 21% of adults 80 and older who filed fraud reports in 2024 reported losing money
• Median loss: $1,650 per victim
• Total losses: $319 million

Victims in this age group also were most likely to be contacted by phone. And gift cards were a common payment method. While tech support scams were among the top five most common types of fraud experienced by adults 80 and older, so were sweepstakes and lottery scams. In fact, sweepstakes scams were the costliest type of scam for this age group, according to the FTC.