Internet Safety: How to Avoid Online Scams
Updated by Alexia on
Internet fraud is alive and well, and it’s costing victims thousands of dollars. In fact, the FBI’s Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3) received a record 791,790 complaints of online fraud in 2020, with $4.1 billion in reported losses—that’s an average of over 2,100 per day at around $5,000 per person.
Anyone can become a victim of online crime, but older adults tend to be more at risk. According to the IC3, overt 40% of all internet crime victims are over the age of 50. Sadly, this group also reports the greatest number of victims who lose more than $100,000.
We don’t expect you or your loved ones to unplug from the internet, but we do want you to stay safe online. So familiarize yourself with these common internet scams and the proactive measures you can take to avoid them.
Anyone can become a victim of online crime, but older adults tend to be more at risk. According to the IC3, overt 40% of all internet crime victims are over the age of 50. Sadly, this group also reports the greatest number of victims who lose more than $100,000.
We don’t expect you or your loved ones to unplug from the internet, but we do want you to stay safe online. So familiarize yourself with these common internet scams and the proactive measures you can take to avoid them.