Survey finds 54% of people experience anxiety and stress after being scammed
Aura, the leader in intelligent safety for consumers, today released the Aura Online Scams and Mental Health Impact Survey in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Day. The nation-wide survey, fielded in conjunction with Ipsos, the world’s third largest insights and analytics company, aims to uncover the impact of identity theft, fraud, and the “scam economy” on individuals’ mental health, ranging from heightened anxiety and stress to loss of focus.
By surveying more than 1,000 Americans aged 18+ from multiple geographic locations and backgrounds, the survey not only sheds light on the alarming prevalence of this problem on a national scale and across generations, but also the compounding effect of online scams on victims’ lives and the lives of their partners and families. In fact, of those surveyed, 2 in 5 people say that they’re being targeted by scammers at least once a week. Key insights include:
- 54% of people experience moderate to extreme feelings of anxiety or stress following a scam incident
- 64% of those with income under $50,000 per year report moderate to extremely high stress after a scam incident
- 1 in 5 of those who have fallen victim of an online scam say they struggled to focus after the incident (23%) or experienced financial strain (20%)
- 42% of parents who have fallen victim to a scam are worried their children will also be a victim
- 23% of those who were scammed had a child that was also scammed
“We’re living in a world where everyone is constantly plugged in and all of our personal information, from banking to medical records, is digitized,” said Aura founder and CEO Hari Ravichandran. “Our personal information has never been more at risk, which means our savings have never been more accessible. And cybercriminals know this, which motivates them to target individuals across all walks of life at every click. This new data illustrates the damaging ripple effect that scams have on everyone from Gen Z to Boomers.”
Aura’s report double clicks into the impact of online crimes on the mental health of specific demographic cohorts:
- Scammers consistently target adults over 50: Nearly 1 in 2 people ages 50-64 are targeted once a week. Those aged 50-64 are more likely to have fallen victim to a scam (48%) – specifically entering their email and password on a site that they found out was a scam (22%)
- But, targets are getting younger: 1 in 4 18–34-year-olds are targeted by scammers once a week
- Stress is higher in younger millennials: 25–34-year-olds are more likely to report moderate to extremely high stress after a scam than those ages 35-49
The Aura Online Scams and Mental Health Impact Survey is part of Aura’s larger mission and unwavering dedication to creating a safer internet for everyone with its digital security app. Aura’s one-of-a-kind subscription service brings together security, privacy and parental controls on to one intelligent platform that can be utilized across devices, and comes with 100% U.S.-based customer support and white glove product installation that is available 24/7. All Aura subscription plans are backed with $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance for consumer peace of mind.
More detail on the survey and methodology is available for download here. To access additional resources and information on the prevalence of online crimes and how consumers can implement comprehensive online protection with Aura’s digital security app, visit Aura.com.
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