Why cybercriminals target Senior Citizens with increasing success

EXPLAINER: Why cybercriminals target Senior Citizens with increasing success

Mumbai, January 14: In recent years, cybercrime cases have been on the rise, and the fear of falling victim to them is preventing us from fully utilizing the services available. People of all ages are becoming victims. If we have a mobile phone, a bank account, and money in it, we need to be cautious.

It is not just young people who fall victim to cybercrime but also the elderly and senior citizens. Around 66,000 cases were registered between 2019 and 2024, targeting the elderly.

Deccan Herald in December reported that a senior citizen in Bengaluru was subjected to a ‘digital arrest’ by cyber fraudsters, resulting in a loss of Rs.1.94 crore from his fixed deposit. The criminals coerced the victim into transferring funds by creating a sense of urgency and fear.


A 72-year-old resident of Kundalahalli, Bengaluru, was defrauded of Rs. 2.5 lakh by criminals posing as telecom officials and police. The scammers convinced the victim to transfer funds under the pretense of resolving supposed issues with his telecom services according to  Bangalore Mirror last August.

A 75-year-old man in Mumbai fell victim to one of the city’s largest cyber frauds, losing over ₹11 crore. The scammers lured him into investing in a fraudulent trading application, promising high returns that never materialized.
This news was reported by Money life last November.
      
There was one such case where a 57-year-old man received a call informing him that his daughter had been arrested in an alleged drug case. The caller claimed that he needed to pay a specific amount for her release. Suspecting it to be a scam, he immediately hung up and called his daughter. He discovered that she was safe and at her office, working.

This man was luckier than most and did not fall prey as easily as many senior citizens tend to. This raises an important question: How do people who have seen and experienced so much in life get tricked so easily? What goes through their minds? What makes them believe such fraudulent individuals?


Senior citizens are often vulnerable and not tech-savvy. Fraudsters provide them with personal details, such as their Aadhaar number, home address, and family information, making it easier for them to believe such calls.

Spreading awareness and staying alert are the biggest precautions that we know so far. But strict laws should be brought for the welfare and safety of the citizens. Security has to be tightened. As soon as people get such calls, they should get in touch with the Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. Their helpline number is “1930”. These are some of the ways through which through which cybercrimes can be reduced.

Ashmitha Enous

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