Intergenerational Support for Deepfake Scams Targeting Older Adults

Authors: Karina LaRubbio, Alyssa Lanter, Seihyun Lee, Mahima Ramesh, Diana Freed

Published: 2025-08-15 16:37:59+00:00

AI Summary

This study investigates older adults' perceptions of deepfake scams and the potential for intergenerational support in mitigating these threats. Focus groups with older adults revealed reliance on trusted relationships for scam detection and highlighted opportunities for youth to actively participate in enhancing online safety for older family members.

Abstract

AI-enhanced scams now employ deepfake technology to produce convincing audio and visual impersonations of trusted family members, often grandchildren, in real time. These attacks fabricate urgent scenarios, such as legal or medical emergencies, to socially engineer older adults into transferring money. The realism of these AI-generated impersonations undermines traditional cues used to detect fraud, making them a powerful tool for financial exploitation. In this study, we explore older adults' perceptions of these emerging threats and their responses, with a particular focus on the role of youth, who may also be impacted by having their identities exploited, in supporting older family members' online safety. We conducted focus groups with 37 older adults (ages 65+) to examine their understanding of deepfake impersonation scams and the value of intergenerational technology support. Findings suggest that older adults frequently rely on trusted relationships to detect scams and develop protective practices. Based on this, we identify opportunities to engage youth as active partners in enhancing resilience across generations.