Main content

Boom time for scammers

Why lockdown living is making us more vulnerable to financial scams

During the Coronavirus pandemic, people have been spending more time at home, and online, than ever before. This has given online scammers a golden opportunity to find new victims. And it鈥檚 worked. We鈥檒l hear from Danielle in Illinois, who was caught up in just such a scam and lost thousands of dollars from her savings. And she鈥檚 not the only one. Craig Jones, Director of Cyber Crime at Interpol, describes the rise they鈥檝e seen in all types of online scams during the pandemic. But why does lockdown make us more vulnerable? Dr. Stacey Wood, professor of psychology at Scripps College in California, breaks down how different demographics are made more vulnerable in their own ways. And if you or a loved one do get targeted by a scammer, Amy Nofziger at the American Association of Retired Persons Fraud Watch Network explains what to do.

Presenter: Tamasin Ford.
Producers: Clare Williamson and Frey Lindsay.
(Picture credit: Vasily Pindyurin via Getty Creative)

Available now

18 minutes

Last on

Wed 14 Apr 2021 07:32GMT

Broadcast

  • Wed 14 Apr 2021 07:32GMT

Podcast