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BBB: Millennials more likely to fall victim to scams than elderly

The Better Business Bureau has a new study out regarding scams and Millennials. Researchers said the generation of people between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to get tricked by scams than the elderly are.

The Better Business Bureau has a new study out regarding scams and Millennials.

Researchers said the generation of people between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to get tricked by scams than the elderly are.

"They attribute that to something called optimism bias,” said Risa Carpenter with the BBB. “Where they feel like everyone is more susceptible than they are to being a victim."

The BBB surveyed more than 2,000 adults in the US. They asked those surveyed about their perceptions on scams, who they think is more likely to be scammed and what helps them avoid getting scammed.

Millennials tend to take more risks online than Baby Boomers and online is where you can a find a lot of scams lurking.

23-year-old Christopher Garcia who works at the LogOn cafe in Beaumont said many Millennials tend to think they will not be tricked.

"It's that whole – ‘it hasn't happened to me yet so it can't happen to me yet’ – but it happens,” said Garcia.

The BBB said in their research, 11 percent of the elderly lost money to scams, but more than two times as many millennials were victimized.

The younger generation tends to fall victim to scams over the phone, fake job offers online like on the website LinkedIn, and Millennials tend to have their personal info stolen by hackers through public Wi-Fi.

“There could be someone lurking you know, waiting to hack someone's information,” said Garcia.

To avoid getting scammed in these ways, experts advise you to just say "no thanks" to telemarketers. As for fake job offers, if it sounds "too good to be true,” it's probably a scam. And when you connect to public Wi-Fi, refrain from making financial transactions.

The BBB said about $50 billion are lost to scams every year.

“To know that that's being lost to people that are not operating ethically, honestly and with integrity is staggering,” said Carpenter.

If you think you've been scammed, the BBB asks you to call them at 855-BBB-SETX.

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