Fraud Is Everywhere and It Affects All of Us

Fraud, resulting in stolen money or information, continues to be a widespread consumer issue, with many Americans experiencing financial loss, or adjusting behaviors to reduce risk. New AARP research finds that while most adults worry about fraud and are aware of scam tactics, many everyday activities continue to leave consumers exposed.

Most adults are worried about fraud

Many U.S. adults report that they worry about scams and fraud, placing their average worry level at 7.1 out of 10. The most common concerns surrounding fraud include becoming a victim (30%), having no way to recover stolen funds (21%), the rapid growth of fraud (18%), and a loved one being victimized (15%). More personally, 38% of adults say that they have experienced fraud. After experiencing fraud, many people took action: 73% contacted their financial institutions, 43% warned family or friends, and 25% reported the crime to local law enforcement, while 3% reported keeping the experience to themselves.

Fraud Is widely recognized as a shared risk

Notably, a large majority of adults (87%) believe that fraud can happen to anyone, while only 9% believe that fraud mainly happens to older adults. Most adults correctly identify common scam tactics, such as recognizing that being asked to purchase gift cards (82%) and bitcoin (66%) to handle urgent financial matters is a scam. Only 3% say that victims of fraud “should have known better” suggesting that most Americans view fraud as a widespread risk rather than the result of carelessness.

Still, knowledge is fragmented. Fewer people (19%) can identify a cryptocurrency ATM, and although a majority (64%) are confident in their ability to spot artificial intelligence–driven scams, this confidence may create a false sense of security. As fraud tactics become more sophisticated and personalized, overconfidence can become a risk factor.

Protective steps are common — but gaps persist

Many people are taking important steps to protect themselves online. Most adults report locking their devices with passcodes, biometrics, or fingerprint recognition (85%). Many enable multifactor authentication (80%), use protective software (65%), and act quickly on updates — 61% have automatic updates enabled or turn them on immediately.

Despite these protections, significant online exposure to risk persists. Only about one-third of adults (35%) use a unique password for every online account, and many (60%) do not use a virtual private network (VPN) when connecting to public WiFi. A notable share still answers calls (21%) or texts (10%) from unknown numbers or accepts friend requests on social media (13%) from people they do not know. On social media more broadly, about half report taking quizzes or surveys (50%) or downloading free apps (48%) — activities that can expose personal data or introduce malicious software.

Offline risks remain as well. While most adults say they shred sensitive documents, nearly one-third (32%) report that they seldom or never do so.

Implications

Fraud information is widespread, and most adults recognize common scam tactics — yet exposure remains common as criminals adapt and find new ways to target people through everyday channels like phone, text, and social media. The survey findings show that education is important but not sufficient on its own; reducing fraud will also require stronger built-in protections and coordinated action by industry, policymakers, and law enforcement. And because vulnerabilities differ across groups, prevention efforts may be most effective when they are targeted and paired with clearer, easier reporting pathways.

Methodology

Findings are based on a survey of 1,696 U.S. adults 18 and older conducted through the NORC AmeriSpeak Omnibus survey using a mixed-mode approach. Interviews were conducted January 22 to 26, and results were weighted to reflect U.S. population benchmarks for gender, age, race and ethnicity, education, and region.

For more information, please contact Joanne Binette at jbinette@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.