You're Never Too Old to Be Scammed Online – and Cybercriminals Know It
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Older adults are increasingly facing online scams and cyber threats. Due to less experience and greater trust in others, they are often targeted by attackers. However, not all older internet users are equally vulnerable – their digital skills and needs vary greatly.
Researchers from the Faculty of Computer and Information Science at the University of Ljubljana have tackled this issue. They participated in an international research conducted in the United Kingdom, analyzing how digitally literate older adults understand and apply online security measures. Their findings revealed five distinct user profiles among older individuals, based on their knowledge and needs related to cybersecurity. This insight is crucial, as it allows for the development of tailored, targeted educational programs.
The study involved 784 participants aged 65 and over, all of whom were already digitally literate and recruited via the Prolific.com platform. Using a customized questionnaire that measured cybersecurity awareness factors, the researchers gained insight into participants’ habits, knowledge, and behavior in the digital space.
Based on this data, they developed a framework for personalized cybersecurity learning. This approach ensures that each user receives the knowledge they truly need – including those older adults who are already above-average digital users.
If we want older adults to truly stay safe online, generic solutions simply won’t cut it. What we need is smart, adaptive education built on a deep understanding of their diversity.
Article: Fujs, D., Vrhovec, S., Hovelja, T., & Vavpotič, D. (2025). SmartICST: a smart information and cyber security training approach for older adults. Education and Information Technologies, 1-22.
The project was funded by ARIS – the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency, partly within the research project J5-3111 “e@ser | Safe Use of Smart Devices among the Elderly: Towards Education-Based Prevention of Cybercrime” and partly within the research programme group P2-0426 “Digital Transformation for Smart Public Governance”.
