Yikes! The Average Person Is The Target Of 30 Scams A Month

While there are a lot of great things about the Internet, there are a lot of downsides to it, including tons of scams, which unfortunately way too many people fall for.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Scam Spotter, a platform created by Cybercrime Support Network (CSN) with support from Google,  

  • The average person is the target of close to 30 scams a month.
  • That includes 10 email scams, nine phone calls and eight fishy texts.
  • And it’s not just on the Internet
  • 40% say they’ve received more than 11 email scams a month.
  • 34% are on the receiving end of more than 11 phone scams a month.
  • Unfortunately, 46% of people say they’ve lost money due to a scam.
  • The average person will fall victim to five scams over their life, losing an average of $500.
  • So, why do so many people fall for scams? Common reasons include:
    • No time to stop and think through the scenario (37%)
    • Fear of loss of personal information (29%)
    • Interest in an alleged reward (28%)
    • Fear of loss for a family or friend (27%)
    • Fear of arrest (22%)
    • Trusting most people, even strangers (17%)
  • As for some of the most ridiculous scams people have ever seen, they include:
    • Claims of a warrant out for their arrest in a state they’ve never been to (34%)
    • A non-existent relative in prison (30%)
    • Attempts to pay their taxes in gift cards (26%) 

Source: SWNS Digital

Photo: Getty Images


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