Who Gets Scammed? It’s Not Just the Elderly

  • by Eddy K

    • (Insights from the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025 (GASS Asia))

    At the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025 (GASS Asia), one message was repeated often: scams don’t discriminate. The stereotype that only elderly people fall victim no longer holds true.

    Scams Take Many Forms

    Speakers at the summit grouped scams into eight main categories: dating and romance, e-commerce, impersonation, phishing, investment, prize and lottery, extortion, and jobs. Each type maps neatly to different vulnerabilities across age groups. No one is immune.

    Younger Victims

    Youths are falling prey to “deals” that look too good to resist — concert tickets, delivery promotions, even buckets of fried chicken. Task scams also target younger audiences with gamified rewards that hook quickly and escalate into financial loss.

    Love and connection play a role too. Online friendships and relationships can be manipulated into trust — and eventually, into money.

    Adults in the Middle

    Working-age adults are the main target for higher-value scams such as:

    • Fake job offers that require upfront “processing fees.”
    • Investment opportunities promising guaranteed returns.
    • “Pig butchering” schemes, where long-term emotional manipulation leads to fake trading platforms.

    The losses can be devastating, both financially and psychologically.

    Elderly Victims

    Older victims still represent a major share of scam cases, often losing larger sums because of their financial security and trust in authority. Government impersonation scams remain especially effective against this group.

    But the summit also highlighted something deeper: when the elderly are scammed, the impact often extends beyond money — creating shame, embarrassment, and reluctance to seek help.

    The Common Thread

    Different age groups may be targeted in different ways, but the psychology is the same: scammers adapt to vulnerabilities. Whether it’s greed, loneliness, urgency, or trust, there’s always a lever to pull.

    Closing Thought

    Scams aren’t a problem “for someone else.” They’re a risk for everyone. Talking openly about them helps break the stigma, makes it easier for victims to come forward, and strengthens the whole community against what some at GASS Asia 2025 called a global “scamdemic.”

    Also in This Series

    This article is part of our reflections from the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025 (GASS Asia). You can read the full series here:

    Together, these articles explore how scams are evolving, how they affect all of us, and what we can do to fight back.

    👉 If you found this useful, share it with your family and friends. Awareness is the first line of defence.

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