Big Tech Can Stop Scams. They Just Don’t (Lock and Code S07E08)
Older adults are too often blamed when they fall for scams, even though fraud affects people of all ages and has become a massive online problem.
Younger people can be more likely to report certain kinds of scams, while older adults may suffer higher median losses. The bigger lesson is that scam prevention should protect everyone, not just one age group.
The episode features Marti DeLiema discussing why scam victims often experience a deep sense of betrayal, why common defenses like awareness campaigns and warning messages are not keeping up, and how scams now reach people through texts, social media, and other everyday online spaces.
Its main point is that the companies best able to block scam messages — especially large tech platforms — often lack the incentive to do enough. The real barrier is not technical ability so much as misaligned priorities.
