With Christmas just days away, many shoppers are scrambling to secure last-minute gifts — and scammers are racing alongside them.
While fraud affects people of all ages at similar rates, older adults tend to suffer much higher financial losses, according to research from the senior resource website The Senior List.
The group found that online shopping scams are the most common form of holiday fraud, outpacing delivery-related text scams, gift card schemes, and fake charity solicitations.
Ryan Molloy, a senior tech expert with The Senior List, said fake online storefronts are especially effective at deceiving older shoppers.
“Our research found that 62 percent of people 65 and older fell victim to fake online storefronts,” Molloy said. “Usually you’ll see an ad for a brand on social media, click on it and land on what looks like their website — with deals that may be too good to be true.”
Molloy said even experienced shoppers are not immune.
“Even I fell victim to one recently,” he said. “I thought I found a great sale at Lululemon. The website felt legitimate, I placed an order — and nothing ever came.”
He said common warning signs include steep discounts that do not align with the season and website addresses that include extra letters or words meant to mimic legitimate brands.
According to The Senior List, seniors lost an estimated $1.5 billion to fraud in just the first half of this year.
Consumer advocates urge shoppers to verify website addresses carefully, be skeptical of unusually low prices and avoid clicking on ads or links from unfamiliar sources — especially during the holiday rush.
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