Abstract

Older adults are increasingly targeted by online fraudsters, losing millions of dollars each year to scams in the United States alone. This paper systematically reviews efforts to prevent these scams across multiple domains of research. We apply and expand upon an existing categorization of online fraud prevention efforts to describe the available research. Additionally, we identify and group both the vulnerabilities of older adults targeted by fraudsters and the attacks defended against. Finally, we identify areas for future research in this growing field.

Recommended Citation

Wood, D., Ledbetter, S., Wang, J. & Cerny, T.(2026). Solutions to Online Fraud Against Older Adults: A Systematic Review. In M. Valenta, B. Mannová, R. Pergl, A. Przybylek, M. Lang, H. Linger, C. Schneider, N. Iivari, & E. Insfran (Eds.), Making ISD Sustainable: Reloaded with AI and Automation (ISD2026 Proceedings). Prague, Czech Republic: Czech Technical University in Prague. ISBN: 978-80-01-07585-2. https://doi.org/10.62036/ISD.2026.155

Paper Type

Full Paper

DOI

10.62036/ISD.2026.155

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Solutions to Online Fraud Against Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Older adults are increasingly targeted by online fraudsters, losing millions of dollars each year to scams in the United States alone. This paper systematically reviews efforts to prevent these scams across multiple domains of research. We apply and expand upon an existing categorization of online fraud prevention efforts to describe the available research. Additionally, we identify and group both the vulnerabilities of older adults targeted by fraudsters and the attacks defended against. Finally, we identify areas for future research in this growing field.