Go ahead, raise your hand if you\u2019ve ever been scammed. Have you been the victim of a fake bank alert or a fraudulent Venmo exchange? Did you ever purchase last-minute concert tickets that didn\u2019t exist? You aren\u2019t the only one. According to the FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center, scammers took more than $1.6 billion from victims through the first five months of 2024 alone, an increase of more than 20% from the same time period in 2023. Sadly, the actual numbers are much higher than that.<\/p>\n
\u201cScams are underreported,\u201d says Nichole Lighthall, director of UCF\u2019s Adult Development and Decision Lab. \u201cPeople are reluctant to admit being victimized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lighthall sees the reluctance whenever she asks students in her classes if they\u2019ve been scammed. A few hands slowly go up. Then she rephrases the question: Have you ever purchased anything online that wasn\u2019t as promised<\/em>?<\/p>\n \u201cVirtually every hand goes up,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the same kind of response when she goes into greater Orlando, sharing research findings and advice with older adults living in senior communities. How many of you have been scammed<\/em>? A few hands go up. How many of you know a social peer who\u2019s been scammed<\/em>? Every hand goes up.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be as little as $50 to a situation that\u2019s financially catastrophic.\u201d<\/p>\n