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

Lazarus, Suleman ORCID: 0000-0003-1721-8519, Tickner, Peter and McGuire, Michael R. (2025) Cybercrime against senior citizens: exploring ageism, ideal victimhood, and the pivotal role of socioeconomics. Security Journal, 38 (1). ISSN 0955-1662

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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.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/41284
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Authors
Divisions:	Mannheim Centre for Criminology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory K Law
Date Deposited:	14 Jun 2024 10:06
Last Modified:	23 Jun 2025 08:15
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/123873

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