Cybercrime against senior citizens: exploring ageism, ideal victimhood, and the pivotal role of socioeconomics

Suleman Lazarus, Peter Tickner and Michael R. McGuire

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: We discuss cybercrimes against senior citizens from three standpoints: (a) online fraudsters often target senior citizens because of their age, which results in the propagation of ageism. Thus, we explicitly define ageism in the context of cybercrime, characterising it as the intentional targeting or prioritisation of senior citizens as potential victims of online fraud. (b) Senior citizens are vulnerable to online fraud schemes for physiological (e.g., cognitive decline), psychological (e.g., elevated fear of cybercrime), familial (e.g., insider fraud), and sociocultural (e.g., isolation) reasons. (c) Cybercrimes against older adults predominantly fall under the socioeconomic category driven by a common financial motive. We argue that ageism serves as a weapon used by online offenders to target older adults, whilst the concept of the ideal victim acts as society’s shield in response to these reprehensible actions. This framework invites closer attention to how age-based targeting in cyberspace reproduces broader social, economic, and moral asymmetries. Future empirical studies are warranted to substantiate these claims beyond the theoretical realm.

Keywords: ageism and ageing; elder abuse; senior citizens; vulnerabilities and risk factors; ideal victim; online fraud (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 23 pages
Date: 2025-06-21
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Published in Security Journal, 21, June, 2025, 38(1). ISSN: 0955-1662

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