Older adults less likely to experience cybercrime than younger adults—but it’s more financially devastating

Adults aged 75 and older are more likely to repeatedly experience cybercrime and related financial loss, according to research published December 18, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Benjamin Havers from University College London, U.K., and colleagues.

Between April 2018 and March 2019, adults 55 and older in England and Wales lost more than €4 million to cybercrime, internet-based fraud including hacking and social engineering (i.e., tricking vulnerable victims into transferring money or sharing sensitive information).

Cybercrime is a threat to older adults who spend time online; potential psychological and financial consequences range from anxiety and depression to disrupted emergency funds and dissipated life savings.

The researchers analyzed 35,069 responses to the 2019–2020 Crime Survey for England and Wales, a survey administered via face-to-face interviews to randomly selected English and Welsh adults 16 and older. Participants self-reported whether they experienced cybercrime once or more in the last 12 months and indicated if it led to financial loss.

The researchers tracked participants’ sensory, physical, cognitive and mental health as well as sociodemographic variables like age, gender, ethnicity and occupation.

Results indicate that respondents aged 75 and older were least likely to report experiencing cybercrime, while those aged 16-24 were most likely—an expected outcome based on younger people’s increased internet use. However, the older age group reported more instances of repeat victimization and resulting financial loss.

Demographically, men and those who identified as Black or of mixed/multiple ethnicities reported more victimization than women and White respondents. Those in managerial occupations reported more cybercrime, as did individuals in worse health.

Because older adults reported less frequent, yet more severe, cybercrime cases, the authors suggest that shame, embarrassment or the fear of blame or disbelief may foster under-reporting. The researchers encourage efforts to equip older adults to proactively identify and freely report cyber fraud.

Future studies may account for the impact of social isolation and increased technology usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health and social care professionals might spearhead prevention efforts to target the relationship between health and cybercrime, as many older adults experience declining health.

The authors add, “We analyzed data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales in order to explore whether cybercrime risk varied among people of different age groups and other socio-economic characteristics such as sex, ethnicity, and presence of health conditions.

“While cybercrime risk was higher among younger demographics, older adults were more likely to experience repeat victimization and financial loss.”