Dubai: When I hear about an online scam incident, I usually assume that the victim must be someone who is unfamiliar with the internet and its possible dangers.
However, last year, I realised that I couldn’t have been more wrong, when I was the one who fell for a scam.
I received a call from a person pretending to be from my bank. He mentioned that there was a new card under my name, waiting to be delivered.
I believed him, as I had applied for a credit card and was waiting for an update. So, I followed his instructions and shared an OTP (one-time password) I received on my mobile.
In a matter of a few minutes, I lost access to my mobile banking application and the money was taken out of my account.
Luckily for me, the scammers could withdraw only Dh100, as I always keep my money in my savings account, instead of my current account.
It was later that evening, after I called my bank, that I was made aware that bank employees call only via landline numbers and not mobile numbers.
In fact, quite contrary to what I believed about victims of online scams, a 2023 survey conducted by Deloitte, a British multinational professional services network, states that my generation – Gen Z - fall for online scams and get hacked more frequently.
The survey stated that Gen Z were three times more likely to get caught up in an online scam than other generations - almost 2 out of every 10 get scammed! It also said that Gen Z is twice more likely to get their social media accounts hacked.
“These are the two generations [Gen Z and Boomers] that fall victims to scams. And those most frequently targeted tend to lack experience and awareness in cybersecurity,” said Aidos Nurekesh, an Information Security Analyst at Radio Free Europe, a media organisation in Prague.
“The reason Gen Z are more frequent to fall for scams when compared to older adults is likely due to their relatively lower caution when navigating the internet. And the higher usage of the internet compared to someone like their grandparents, results in increased susceptibility,” he added.
... the higher usage of the internet compared to someone like their grandparents, results in increased susceptibility.
Nurekesh even noted a personal account of falling victim to a scam. “It was on Steam, a gaming platform. A person impersonated a mutual friend, leading to the registration for a competition and the disabling of account security requirements. And due to the lack of awareness and caution during the process, the scam was successful,” he said.
Mais Hihi, a 26-year-old Dubai resident who fell victim to an online scam, recently, told Gulf News: “I was selling something online and someone reached out to me and said they want to buy it. And we agreed on the price, their profile seemed legitimate as well. Then they sent me an Aramex link to pin my location on it and pay the delivery fees and the second I pressed on the link, something happened, and they got into my email and stole Dh5,000.
“I couldn’t get my money back,” she added.
“I think we get scammed more easily since older people aren’t very familiar with using technology. Scammers get to your details through online sources and the internet makes it very easy for them to do so,” she added.
I think we get scammed more easily since older people aren’t very familiar with using technology. Scammers get to your details through online sources and the internet makes it very easy for them to do so.
Andrew Fincher, a certified financial planner told American news magazine TIME, “Younger adults, typically are going to have a lot more of their finances online – so they do mobile banking, saving passwords in your phone using similar passwords… That can make it a lot easier for scammers to access multiple accounts if there’s a security breach.”
While it is true that Gen Z are more familiar using technology when compared to older adults, it does leave me wondering how we are not more careful. And so, I jotted down some precautions that experts and officials have mentioned several times in various interviews and reports, which might help you, too.
It is recommended on almost every application and website, to change your passwords as often as three to six months, to not have similar passwords, and create stronger passwords -- as that is easier to hack into.
For example, avoid creating passwords with the word ‘password’ in it.
Try and avoid using your location often. According to the survey, 14 per cent of Gen Z’s said their location information was misused, more than any generation.
Most hackers reach out through emails and text messages. Make sure to always check the email id associated with an email and avoid replying to them. The same goes for text messages.
