The frauds are targeting older or less tech-savvy users. They are targeted because they're perceived as having more savings or assets; less likely to be digital natives and trend to trust authority figures or brands. [They have a hard time to] recognise safe vs. suspicious links: differentiate between ads and actual content; know how to verify sources and undertand terms like multi-factor authentication or phishing.

In 2021, there were more than 90,000 older victims of fraud, according to the FBI. It resulted in $1.7 bullion in losses.

On average, older people in the UK who have been scammed have lost nearly £4,000 each.

They are subject to the decision fatigue and if the app or website is already not easy, then scammer can rely on these factors.

UX has a role to play in order to prevent scams to remain unknown. The tips or patterns are already known. I note a few more though: use friction to protect, not hinder; embed contextual education. "What we can do as designers is build systems that make hesitation feel natural [...] and inject small moments of friction that nudge users to double-check before proceeding"

UX has however limitations: "To help those like her, ultimately, additional elements like support contact numbers, face-to-face courses on how to stay safe on your phone, and, of course, help from family members as required."