Survey: U.S. consumers of all ages falling victim to scams
The overwhelming majority of Americans have experienced a scam in the past two years, with suspicious email links leading the way as the most common method.
The overwhelming majority (78%) of U.S. respondents admitted to experiencing at least one scam since 2022, revealed a new survey from virtual private network provider NordVPN. Nearly half (46%) of Americans have clicked on an email link that was part of a cyber scam, and perhaps surprisingly, millennials (ages 28-43) stood out as the most careless group, with one-third admitting they have clicked on scam links more than once.
Gen Z (ages 18-27) and millennials combined also have the highest share of scam victims overall. In contrast, retirees and people on parental leave reported encountering significantly fewer scams.
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“Gen Z, the generation raised on the internet, isn’t immune to online scams,” said Adrianus Warmenhoves, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN. “Their extensive use of technology across multiple devices — and in various aspects of their lives — creates more opportunities for scammers. This comfort with digital environments can lead to a false sense of security, making them less vigilant about potential threats.”
According to the survey, Gen Z and baby boomers (ages 60-78) have encountered different types of scams, in contrast to Generation X (ages 44-59) and millennials, who typically face more similar scam patterns. Gen Z is particularly vulnerable to fake job offers, with a quarter admitting to falling for them, along with fake verification code scams, account cloning on social media and messaging apps, and a fake QR code scam.
Meanwhile, a third of baby boomers have been targeted by delivery scams, fake login pages, or fraudulent service calls. Additionally, a quarter (25%) of baby boomers admitted to falling for fake gift cards or prize scams, and they’re twice as likely as Gen Z to be victims of romance scams.
"Today, we're seeing more types of scams than ever, constantly evolving as fraudsters adapt to each generation's common behavior patterns and interests,” added Warhmenhoven.
One-fifth of Americans who encountered scams in the past two years lost money. Of these victims, 76% lost up to $1,000, while 18% lost more than $1,000. Six percent said they lost more than $5,000.
Of those who've lost money, NordVPN found that business owners and self-employed workers, such as shop owners or craftspeople, were among the top victims (40% and 43%, respectively, having lost money to scams encountered in the last two years).
VordVPN's survey conducted by the external company Cint in December 2024. The survey's target group was residents of the U.S., Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan aged 18-74 (nationally representative). It featured 1,001 respondents in the U.S.
