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Lots of people fall for scams. Is it any different for Millennials? That’s what the FTC explores in its new Data Spotlight, Not what you think: Millennials and fraud

According to the Data Spotlight, Millennials are 25% more likely to report losing money to fraud than other adults (age 40 and over), and much more likely to tell us they lost money on certain types of fraud. Online shopping frauds stand out – Millennials are twice as likely to report losing money on items that are never delivered or not as advertised. They’re also far more likely to report losses on frauds promising ways to make money or fixes for debt-related problems.

How else are Millennials different? The amount of money they report losing is one key difference. Even though Millennials are more likely to report losing money, their median individual reported loss of $400 is much lower than what other age groups report.

The way scammers reach Millennials also differs. Millennials are 77% more likely than other age groups to say they lost money to a scam that started with an email. By contrast, they are slightly less likely than other age groups to report losing money to scams that started with a phone call.

The bottom line is that despite some differences, fraud can affect anyone, regardless of age. If you see a scam, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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Annette
October 01, 2019
Thanks- excellect info. Will pass on to my millennial son!!!
ZNu
October 01, 2019
Thank you.
beanie-poo
October 01, 2019
Thank you - I recently received an email in my junk file where someone said they had passwords to all my accounts and then listed one of my passwords. I was worried until they said they had camcorder pictures of me and I don't have a camcorder but I'm still concerned about the password but it's an old one that someone had guessed for my comcast account and I changed it after they created new accounts under my account. Comcast removed them and I'm assuming it's the same person. Is there anything I should do?
Johnny Ray
October 01, 2019
School related scams, legal & illegal, are especially reprehensible.
jerlene t perdieu
October 02, 2019
I get calls they are policemen and want a donation i just hang up
4lllls
October 03, 2019
Wish is a problem because they take your money when you order then take their time on delivery. They should bot take money until ready to ship. Warranties start when?
Sunshine girl
October 03, 2019
Very important information and I will share with others, thank you!
Carl Bowles
October 05, 2019
Thank you for your wonderful services ❤️
Don't use your…
October 08, 2019
i get calls all the time wanting money!
Confused
October 08, 2019
Have been receiving caLas from 800-958-0143 recording starting that my social ssecurity check will be compromised due to fraud.
Audrey Mciver
October 24, 2019
Hackers need to be stopped from applying for credit and or credit cards in your name there needs to be a preventative measure with facial digital biometrics that prevents this from happening in the future and a warning that pops up alerting that person That if they proceed they will be incarcerated and their IP address at that point should be detected and log and saved with that event and documentation to back it up so if an arrest is made there is factual evidence to prosecute