SCARS™ Overview: Online Scams Targeting Teens and Young Adults
Scammers are not just targeting adults and the elderly, they also actively target teens and young adults.
Teens and young adults think they know everything about the internet, but their complete lack of life skills makes them especially vulnerable. Worse is their built-in unwillingness to talk to adults that know about scams.
While Teens and Young Adults may be digital natives, their inexperience makes them susceptible to online scammers. In fact, according to a new report from the Federal Trade Commission, 40% of people age 20 to 29 indicated they lost money in fraud schemes in 2017 compared to 18% of people age 70 and older. While the results of the survey contradict the stereotype of tech-savvy young people, experts say younger consumers are far more open to sharing personal information online.
Here are some common scams targeting Teens and Young Adults to be on the lookout for to avoid becoming a victim.
Knock-offs
Scammers create online ads and online stores supposedly selling cheap designer goods, electronic gadgets and other luxury items. However, these companies are not licensed to sell those goods or the products are imitations.
Fake Scholarship Offers
With the rising cost of college to pay for, scammers use fake scholarship and financial aid offers to steal personal information from students.
Make Money Fast
Who wouldn’t want to make money easy and fast on the internet? So, cyber criminals promise non-existent jobs and get rich quick schemes. Victims are lured into giving away personal information or financial data with the promise of a well-paid job that will bring in lots of money in a short period of time or receive an offer to invest in a great opportunity with a huge payout. Although these scams may not target Teens and Young Adults, they may fall victim to them.
Contests
Aspiring young artists and writers are lured to arts and literature contests. The creative young people submit their works for a fee only to find out they need to send more money to see their writing published or to win an even bigger prize.
Acting & Modeling Scams
“A Talent Scout” is looking for America’s Next…fill-in-the blank. All that is required is paying for head shots or acting lessons upfront. And after handing over hundreds or thousands of dollars, no auditions or bookings occur. The acting and modeling industries are rife with these scams.
Employment & Training Scams
Enterprising Teens and Young Adults can find it difficult to find seasonal work, so online scammers offer jobs where they can work from home online. The only hook is they need to buy a bunch of products or pay for training up-front. Then, these unethical companies don’t deliver jobs or training as promised.
Online Auctions
There are at least two versions. First, after bidding on and winning an online auction, you find out the item doesn’t exist or never arrives. Or, the unsuspecting Teen or Young Adult sells their items online. The buyer says the payment is on the way and urges them to ship the item right away, but the payment never arrives.
Too Good To Be True – It Is!
While Teens and Young Adults are maybe tech-savvy, their inexperience and online habits make them highly susceptible to online and social media scams. Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim:
- If it looks too good to be true, it likely is. Stay away.
- Look for online stores and auction sites with good reviews and ratings from real people
- Walk away from a contest, job or scholarship offers that require you to pay upfront
- Never give out your personal information unless you are confident you can trust the person or company you are interacting with
TAGS: SCARS, Information About Scams, Anti-Scam, Scams, Scammers, Fraudsters, Cybercrime, Crybercriminals, Romance Scams, Scam Victims, Teen Victims, Young Adult Victims, Scams Targeting Teens, Scams Targeting Young Adults, Teen Scams
SCARS™ Team
Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
A Worldwide Crime Victims Assistance Nonprofit Organization
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FAQ: How Do You Properly Report Scammers?
It is essential that law enforcement knows about scams & scammers, even though there is nothing (in most cases) that they can do.
Always report scams involving money lost or where you received money to:
- Local Police – ask them to take an “informational” police report – say you need it for your insurance
- U.S. State Police (if you live in the U.S.) – they will take the matter more seriously and provide you with more help than local police
- Your National Police or FBI « www.IC3.gov »
- The SCARS|CDN™ Cybercriminal Data Network – Worldwide Reporting Network on « www.Anyscam.com »
This helps your government understand the problem, and allows law enforcement to add scammers on watch lists worldwide.
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To learn more about SCARS visit « www.AgainstScams.org »
Please be sure to report all scammers
on « www.Anyscam.com »
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