Watching your Wallet: Majority of Americans aren’t taking simple steps to protect their information online

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - A new report reveals hundreds of millions of Americans have been exposed to cyber threats, and the study finds a majority of adults are not taking simple steps to protect themselves.

For example, if you’re scrolling social media a fun quiz may pop up. Maybe the quiz is to find out what actor would play you in a movie or find out what kind of dog breed you are. However, behind that quiz are often scammers looking to find a way to your information.

Kathy Stokes is the director of fraud prevention with AARP.

“The quizzes are fun, right? But could they possibly be being used to extract information from you that could allow them to target a specific scam that will work on you? Could it be information that you’re sharing that maybe leads to breaking your passwords? It’s too risky, sadly,” said Stokes.

AARP conducted a national survey of adults of all ages to judge their awareness of scams and how they would react. (hyperlink to: https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/work-finances-retirement/fraud-consumer-protection/2025-fraud-survey/?CMP=RDRCT-PRI-FRAUD)

Their report estimates 276 million adults were exposed to cyber threats by downloading unverified apps or taking social media quizzes. The study also found 64% of adults use the same password for multiple accounts which makes them easier targets.

“The biggest problem we have as a society here is passwords,” said Stokes “They’re hard, but we have to use a unique and a strong password for all of our accounts, so we shortcut it, but we’re really putting ourselves at risk. Our recommendation is to do a little bit of research and invest in a password manager app that does all of the hard work for you and then encrypts all of those passwords, and you only have to remember 1 to have access to them.”

Stokes also recommends turning on multi-factor authentication whenever you can. That’s where in addition to a password, you have to get a text or phone call to log-in. Over the years of AARP asking people these questions, they are finding fewer people are taking these simple steps every year.

“Fewer people seem to be doing it, and it might be that suggestion that, ‘oh my god, I just why should I even bother?’ It’s so hard, but we need to get past that and do the things that we can do to protect ourselves, and to talk. We have to talk about this.”

The study also found 64% of adults do not use VPNs when using public Wi-Fi. VPNs are virtual private networks that protect your data when using public internet. Stokes says if you don’t know how to use a VPN, it’s probably best if you stay off public Wi-Fi altogether.

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