Online scams are hitting close to home, with new research from Avast finding that more than half of Brits (52%) say their elderly family members have already fallen victim to a scam, sparking a new wave of how families approach cybersecurity at home.

The cybersecurity firm’s latest Safe Tech report found that one in five older loved ones (21%) have fallen victim to financial fraud, 15% have suffered data breaches, and one in ten have been targeted by identity theft.

Worryingly, 41% of Brits said that they believe their older relatives would fall for a scam if targeted, and three-quarters (74%) of those polled said they worry about it happening.

With older generations now actively using social media, the risk is growing, with Avast finding that 80% of cyber-crime originates from social engineering and scams, which often target the digitally naïve.

This has resulted in a role reversal, with older loved ones now being routinely warned of online dangers by younger generations.

Avast’s report, which polled more than 11,000 people around the world, found that 84% of adults have talked to their older family members about their risky online behaviours, being most worried about them clicking suspicious links (68%), answering unknown calls (60%), oversharing personal details (55%), using weak passwords (51%) and replying to mystery texts (47%).

However, despite the severe talking to, many elderly people are not listening.

Only half (53%) of those who were warned took the advice to change their habits. Others ignored the warnings, got confused or insisted they knew better. 

Meanwhile, nearly half of older adults (47%) are still writing their passwords down on a piece of paper, according to their younger family members, and 23% reuse the same password across multiple accounts.

According to the study, more than half (58%) of UK adults have been forced to step in to help an older relative avoid a cyber threat, with 56% of Gen Z and Millennials leading the way, saying they’ve recently taught an older family member something new about staying safe online. 

“Technology moves fast and we often focus on its impact on younger generations, but we can’t ignore how it affects our parents and grandparents, too,” said Leyla Bilge, global head of scam research for Avast.

“Think of the safety guidance you would get on a flight – put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. The same applies to cyber safety: learn the tips and then you can help family and friends. Even a single conversation could make a big difference.”

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Avast recommended that to get the cyber safety message across to older generations, their family members should focus on just a few best practices for online behaviour.

That includes strengthening password habits, for instance, by using long, unique passwords for each account or by introducing a password manager.

Avast also said younger generations should teach their relatives how to spot red flags like unsolicited calls and texts from banks, give them details of the most common scams to look out for, and set them up with smart safety tools like secure browsers.