Increasing online fraud risks for senior citizens arise from a fast changing world of digitalization because every day, criminals adopt new tricks. You see rapid growth in smartphone use among senior citizens in India. Also, you see cases of digital scams rising. Data from NCRB shows a steady growth of complaints about cyber frauds from older adults. Many senior citizens use phones for banking, making payments and communicating. Often, they believe in unknown callers or messages. This trust opens up space for fraud.

Online fraud impacts senior citizens on many levels: financial security, instills fear, and reduces confidence in digital services. Clearly the impact is higher for senior citizens with pensions or small savings because every loss counts. You can reduce these risks through awareness, support and clear systems.

One of my relatives aged 75 received a call from an unknown person who claimed to be a branch manager. The caller said that the bank wanted to update the nomination details of his pension account. The caller mentioned the names of his family members. This convinced him that the call was genuine. The caller asked him to share an OTP. Someone else helped him share the OTP. He lost 34000 in a few moments. This incident shows how criminals use personal details........

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