There's a comforting assumption floating around: that scams are a problem for grandparents, for the folks who never quite trusted email. The young, raised with a phone in their hand, surely see through all that.
The data says the opposite. Gen Z — roughly the 14-to-29 crowd — falls for online scams at a higher rate than their grandparents. One major survey found young adults were more than twice as likely as boomers to report getting scammed. Read that twice, because it overturns everything we assume.
Here's why it makes sense once you sit with it: being fluent in technology is not the same as being fluent in fraud. Growing up online breeds comfort and trust with screens — and scammers feast on exactly that trust. The more of your life that happens through apps, DMs, and quick taps, the more doors a con artist has to knock on.
If there's a young person in your life, these are the three habits worth passing along.
1. Slow Down Before You Act
Nearly every scam runs on the same engine: getting you to move before you think. The classic pressure tactics are a deadline (“offer expires tonight”), a fantasy (“guaranteed huge returns, no risk”), and a whisper of secrecy or exclusivity (“don't tell anyone, this is just for you”).
Real financial professionals do the exact opposite. They encourage you to take your time, they talk openly about risk, and they keep everything above-board and documented. So treat these as bright red flags: anyone pushing you to move a conversation off a normal platform into a private chat, demanding fees up front, or asking you to pay in unusual ways (gift cards, crypto, wire to a stranger). The single most protective instinct you can build: when something pressures you to hurry, that pressure itself is the warning.
2. Stay Skeptical at Life's Milestones
Here's a trap specific to young adulthood. The exciting first milestones — landing a first real job, signing a first lease, buying a first insurance policy — are precisely the moments scammers exploit, because you're new to the process and don't yet know what “normal” looks like.
Be wary of anyone asking for personal or financial details early on, especially if the whole conversation lives inside a messaging app. A real employer, landlord, or insurer will give you verifiable contact information and formal documentation. Employment scams deserve a special callout: they were the riskiest scam type for people aged 18–34, with a typical loss of around $1,500 per incident. The classic version: a “new employer” sends you a check to buy equipment, asks you to deposit it and wire back the difference — and the check bounces days later. If a job offer involves money flowing out from you, stop.
3. Turn On Every Defense You're Given
Your bank and financial apps have built fraud-fighting tools — but many you have to switch on yourself. A few minutes of setup: turn on security alerts so you're pinged about logins and transactions instantly; keep your contact info current so those alerts reach you; glance at your account activity regularly; and where it's offered, enable two-factor authentication, which puts a second lock on the door even if someone gets your password.
The Bottom Line
Being a digital native is a real skill — but it's not a force field. The generation most at home online is, paradoxically, the one scammers find easiest to reach, precisely because trust and speed come so naturally there. The fix isn't fear; it's a few sturdy habits: slow down when pressured, stay skeptical at the big milestones, and switch on every protection you're handed. Pass these to the young people you love. The conversation itself is the protection.