Phishing and catfishing were once online scams online I thought only affected the careless. After studying them more deeply, I realized just how sophisticated and targeted these attacks have become. Online scammers often target vulnerable groups of people such as the lonely, the elderly, or those unfamiliar with technology. I have personally seen this through email phishing attempts at my internship. Scammers sent my team emails requesting gift cards with high urgency, explaining that our upper management needs funds as soon as possible. While our intern team is well versed with technology, we didn’t want to let our bosses down. Thankfully we were warned about this scam, but many had fallen for it in the past. This is not normally the case. In 2022 alone, phishing scams accounted for over $10.3 billion in losses. It is shocking to think that so much money can be lost through deception. This is an issue that needs more attention.
That email scam is not the only way I have seen these scams in action. Almost weekly I get texts/calls from Texas Toll Tag bills, fake PayPal invoices, and remote job “opportunities”. Thankfully, years of caution has trained me to ignore these messages. Occasionally, I have had to ask for a second opinion because they seem so legit. I think that growing up with technology has taught my generation how to spot these scams fairly easily. Those who have not grown up with technology, such as the elderly, struggle more to see through these scams. This makes me nervous for people like my grandparents as their age group is often the most targeted. They have often sent me AI posts asking if they are real or not.
When I heard about the scams different groups in class came up with, it made me nervous for the future. Technology has given us incredible tools, many of which people use for ill intent. Falling for these scams doesn’t make you stupid, it makes you human. My biggest takeaway from this research is that awareness is protection. Hover over links, double-check addresses, and look up the numbers contacting you. Scammers work hard and we must work even harder to escape them.
Great comments, and insights, thanks. I too was surprised how easily out class groups developed believable scams. I could have been victimized by each one. It seems crazy that 10 Billion was scammed away in one. I bet that amount has gone up since 2022. What's even crazier is no one seems really concerned. I wonder if it's because we simply accept phishing as a given, as something that comes with the techno territory. More people should be concerned that phishing scams have become a daily routine.
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