By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office has done a pretty good job of protecting Georgians from holiday scams this Christmas. But Brad Raffensperger’s team should really look toward protecting younger adults in the Peach State, as evidence shows this group may be even more vulnerable to holiday scams than older Georgians.

We assume younger people are super-tech savvy, probably because they are always on their laptop computers, calling on their cell phones, or playing with the online realm. We also have the myth of older people not even knowing that if you send your savings to someone in a faraway country, you’ll become a prince!

With exceptions, older Americans can be vulnerable. Not all do know as much about the new technologies and new scams. They may be isolated from communities where information is passed. There’s also a lot of recent focus in schools on financial literacy that old people may be missing, though the Georgia Secretary of State’s office may be bridging the gap.

Raffensperger’s Office is on the case, for older Georgians, with a program called “Senior Protection from Exploitation Against Retirees (SPEAR Act).” In a December 8, 2025 press release, the GA SoS Press Office documented the attempts by their department to counter the holiday scams.

“Scammers don’t take holidays,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in that press release. “We’re working overtime to protect Georgians during the holidays, and our office is laser-focused on identifying and stopping the scammers.”

SPEAR’s data shows such cases are on the rise. “Among the most common threats this season are gift card fraud, which continue to be a favorite tool for scam artists,” the press release stated “In one recent case, a Georgia charity’s email system was compromised and a scammer posed as the Executive Director. ‘Before you donate, do your research,’ said Raffensperger. ‘Visit our website, CharityNavigator, or even ask a friend for their opinion. A second set of eyes can help avoid years of stress and regret. Don’t let yourself become the next victim.’”

As great as the Secretary of State’s program is, it should be helping a group that may even be more vulnerable than our senior citizens. And those are younger adults.

“People ages 18-24 reported losing more money to scams than older age groups, according to a new report published by the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute), the International Association of Better Business Bureaus’ educational foundation.” And while older and younger Georgians face “relative in distress,” online purchases and fake checks and money orders, younger people face different scam threats than senior citizens.

“Employment scams continue to be the riskiest scams for ages 18-24, making up almost 30% of scams reported by this age group to BBB Scam Tracker. This scam type had the highest median dollar loss of all scam types reported by this age group ($1,819).” Other challenges to younger adults (18-24) involve cryptocurrency, rental scams, and those tied to romance.

The Better Business Bureau provides examples of employment scams. “It’s important that we spread awareness about employment scams, especially to younger people,” said BBB Institute Executive Director Melissa Lanning Trumpower. “About 43 percent of employment scams reported by this age group included a mention of fake check scams. Many reported being told to deposit checks into their accounts and then transfer funds to a vendor to pay for training or office equipment. By the time they realized the check was bad, the money was gone. We must make sure young people understand it takes time for checks to clear and to be sure they’re good.” About 19% of employment scams from this age group mentioned schemes involving inspecting or reshipping packages.”

I spoke with a Clinical Mental Health Counseling Professor about this, who works with young adults. “Younger adults are devastated when they become a victim of a scam, even if it’s not for a lot of money. It may be a large amount to them, though it’s not as much for the rest of us. But it also makes victims less trusting of everyone,” she told me in a conversation for this article.

Three cheers for the Georgia Secretary of State for taking on the holiday scams targeting older Georgians. The next step should be expanding such a program to young adult victims.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu or on “X” at @johntures2. His first book “Branded” has been published by the Huntsville Independent Press (https://www.huntsvilleindependent.com/product-page/branded). You can read the first two chapters for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/nfdmpqmn91.