Cybercrime in Michigan: Millennials Outpace Seniors as Victims

Forget avocado toast, Michigan Millennials are serving up something more appetizing to criminals: their personal data. According to a new study from Simmrin Law, Millennials in the Mitten State rank third in the nation for being scammed—beating out even senior citizens.

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Simmrin Law combed through the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data (2021-2024) and discovered that the first generation to be raised in a digital world is the preferred target for cybercriminals.

Millennials Are Michigan’s Top Scam Victims

According to the study, over the course of four years, Millennials were targeted with some form of digital scam approximately 3,000 times on average each year in Michigan.

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Conversely, seniors—who often need Millennials to help with FaceTime or even answer the phone—only had an average of 2,385 victims annually. Does that mean grandma is better at spotting a phishing scam?

Why Seniors May Be Safer Online

Not necessarily. Millennials are neck deep in technology, using it for networking, socializing, shopping, and banking. This type of lifestyle is exactly what Michigan's scammers are looking for.

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So higher digital dependence is like putting a red neon "SCAM ME" sign over your Instagram feed. Seniors are either savvier—or they just stick to playing solitaire and signing their Facebook comments on their grandchild's posts.

But, whether you're 30 or 85, scammers are circling like seagulls over a Lake Michigan picnic. I'd recommend not clicking that "Congratulations! You've Won a Free Jet Ski" email.