Why are Gen Z the most susceptible to scams?

Gen Z grew up with the internet, but they fall for online scams more than any other generation. People born between the late 1990s and early 2000s are more susceptible to online hackers and scammers, according to a report by the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA).

Even Boomers have a leg up on Gen Z: A survey by Deloitte revealed that Gen Z Americans were three times more likely to become a victim of an online scam than their boomer grandparents. The NCA also cites higher rates of phishing, identity theft, catfishing, and cyberbullying being reported by Gen Z. In 2017, victims of online scams below the age of 20 lost an estimated USD 8.2 mn, and in 2022 that number had risen to USD 210 mn.

It’s become a way of life, but online shopping can be a minefield of scams: Fake websites and e-commerce sites — which boomed during the pandemic, but stuck around regardless of health considerations — specifically target Gen Z through social media ads, providing scammers with a new avenue to target users.

Why hasn’t internet literacy translated to online security?Vox theorizes that it may simply be that Gen Z’s increased exposure to technology naturally raises their exposure to scamming risk. And while growing up using the internet gives them a sense of familiarity with the technology, cybersecurity education has not been common for school-aged children.