Confidence in digital ​​skills makes young adults vulnerable to online fraud that uses AI

Young adults place a lot of trust in their digital skills, yet they are relatively often victims of online fraud. Recent research conducted by ABN AMRO among its clients shows that one in seven young adults was affected by online fraud in the past year. This number is higher than among people aged 65 and over. Research by The Global Anti-Scam Alliance shows that many young adults are convinced they can spot online scams. But this self-confidence is not always justified. Scammers use generative AI to create increasingly convincing fake messages, images and voices. This is making it more difficult to determine what can be trusted and what can’t. To help young adults experience just how difficult is has become to tell what is ‘real’ from what is ‘fake’, ABN AMRO is launching a campaign called Just Begin Safe (Begin Gewoon Safe).

These are the main findings about young adults (aged 18–35) from the research among ABN AMRO clients into ‘Fraud Prevention and Secure Banking (Ipsos I&O, 2026)’:

• One in seven (14%) has been affected by online fraud in the past year

• Six in ten (58%) do not verify the contact details of online stores

• About half (53%) check reviews of online stores on review websites (such as Trustpilot or WebwinkelKeur)

• Four in ten (39%) use the Call Check when they get an unexpected call from the bank to make sure they are speaking to an actual bank employee.

Technology is making fakes increasingly hard to spot

“Scammers are constantly adapting their methods to new technologies,” says Kathelijne Swaak, Expert Lead Fraud Chain at ABN AMRO. “In the past, you could sometimes tell messages were fake because of language errors or a suspicious sender, but fraudsters are now using AI to make their scams increasingly sophisticated. Examples include AI voice clones, manipulated influencer content and messages tailored to individual recipients. Fraudsters are also misusing familiar faces and voices more often.”

These techniques have even more impact on social media platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok, where personal interaction and commerce are becoming increasingly intertwined. Nine out of ten attempted scams are carried out on channels with a direct messaging function1. Young adults are active on these platforms relatively often, using social media not only to connect with others, but also to discover and buy products2. This creates more situations in which scammers can exploit users’ trust.

Digitally savvy does not mean digitally safe

Protecting yourself against fraud is no longer just about spotting warning signs, but also about taking the right precautions. ABN AMRO’s research shows that people do not always carry out the relevant safety checks. Only 42 percent of young adults check the contact details of online stores, and only 53 percent check reviews on review websites (such as Trustpilot or WebwinkelKeur). If they get an unexpected call from the bank, four in ten (39%) use the Call Check to verify that they are talking to a real bank employee.

Marco Hendriks, Manager of ABN AMRO’s Fraud Helpdesk, emphasises that fraudsters use people’s online behaviour to their own advantage: “Young adults spend a lot of time online, buy through social media and often act quickly. That makes them attractive targets for scammers. And the more strongly you believe you can always spot AI, the greater the chance that it will catch you out. We often hear people say they thought it would never happen to them. So always stay critical, check things yourself and remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

About the ‘Just Begin Safe’ campaign

To help young adults experience how AI is blurring the line between real and fake, ABN AMRO is launching the Just Begin Safe campaign. The bank is teaming up with the popular YouTube channel Supergaande for the campaign in order to reach the target audience in their own feeds. Supergaande demonstrates in a YouTube video just how small the difference has become: the video’s introduction is fully AI-made. It shows how realistic AI-generated content is now, and why it is so important to stay alert to AI-enabled online fraud. The rest of the video was filmed with the real Supergaande crew, who explore the topic in the game show ‘Guess the AI’ (Raad de AI).

Nesim el Ahmadi, known from, among other things, Supergaande, is all too familiar with online scams: football shirts were once sold under his name without his involvement. “To be honest, I didn’t really think that kind of thing would happen to me,” he says. “It’s bizarre to see how easily someone can create a fake account using my profile picture and name. Those images were then distributed through paid TikTok campaigns to sell fake football shirts – it shows just how far these practices can go.”

Just Begin Safe builds on ABN AMRO’s previous campaigns around Fraud & Secure Banking, including ‘Never Ever’ and ‘I have nothing worth taking’. Being digitally savvy doesn’t necessarily mean you are digitally safe. So: Just Begin Safe.