• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, February 18, 2025

A staggering 78% of Americans have experienced at least one scam in the past two years. And 46% have fallen for one by clicking suspicious email links, according to Vigilance check: Scams and opinions about technology in the US,” a study by NordVPN. 

This has cost them money. Seventy-six percent have lost up to $1,000 and 6% more than $5,000. 

Don’t think Boomers were the most likely to be taken. On the contrary, Gen Z and Millennials are the most gullible consumers, with Millennials the most careless.  

“While it is commonly assumed that older, less digitally-versed people are the main victims of cyber fraud, NordVPN's research has found that Gen Z and Millennials sometimes get scammed more than their grandparents. They simply tend to fall for different types of scams,” says Adrianus Warmenhoves, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN.  

Gen Z is most vulnerable to fake job scams—25% have fallen for them. And they are often targeted with verification code frauds.

“Gen Z, the generation raised on the internet, isn’t immune to online scams,” Warmenhoves adds: “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.”

Boomers are not totally immune: Roughly 25% have gone for fake gift cards or prize scams, and they’re twice as likely as Gen Z to suffer romance scams. 

Meanwhile, here are the technological threats most feared by consumers:

• The risk of personal data being leaked online — 50% 
• Lack of privacy, tracking — 48% 
• Technology being hackable — 47% 
• Difficulty spotting what’s real and what’s fake online — 40%
• Technology enabling scammers to hurt a lot of people — 40%
• AI (artificial intelligence) advancing too quickly and taking over — 34%
• Lack of sufficient rules or regulations for new technologies — 25% 
• Addiction to digital devices and its impact on people’s mental health — 25% 
• Technology waste and energy usage harming the environment — 14%
• Not everyone having sufficient access to the internet — 14% 
• I don’t think technology has any bad aspects — 6%

Commissioned by NordVPN, Cint surveyed 7,022 people in the U.S., Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan in December 2024. In the U.S., 1,001 people were polled.