A recently released survey commissioned by Microsoft and undertaken by Ipsos Public Affairs revealed that younger consumers are easier prey to tech support con artists, compared to their older counterparts.
The poll revealed that the respondents between 25 to 34 years old were more than three times as likely to fall for a fake-out compared to those in the 55-64 year old range. The youngest age group in the study, those between 18 and 24 were two and a half times as likely as the senior citizens to be tricked into a con.
The study polled 1,000 respondents aged 18 and up in each of several countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, and India.
Industry observers say the results are hardly surprising. Across the globe, 67% of respondents reported to having encountered a fake out, while one in five have been duped. Almost 10% gave money to the con artist.
Tech support scammers usually make cold calls, posing as employees from reputable technology firms, through which they incite fear by leading their victim to believe their devices are infected with viruses. They usually charge for their worthless “assistance” or sell subscriptions to useless dummy services and sometimes even install malware on the PCs while the devices are under their control.
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