Author(s):
Portela, Inês Maria Brito Martins
Date: 2020
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/107276
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UID/ECO/00124/2013/PT;
Subject(s): Susceptibility; Scam; Age; Sense of control
Description
Although it is a popular perception that elders are more vulnerable to fall for scams, current evidence concerning elderly’s vulnerability is mixed. In this research, I tested whether age would be related to susceptibility to fall for scams. I investigated other factors as well: sense of control, loneliness, impulsiveness, level of education and past fraud experiences. Participants were randomly assigned to an online rental scam scenario (vs. not scam). Only Sense of Control played a significant role insusceptibility to fall for this scam. These results can help policy makers develop laws that take individuals’ vulnerabilities into consideration.