At the recent Internet Day 2025 conference, Nguyen Huu Cuong, personal information security product manager at VNPT Cyber Immunity, said: “If I were a hacker, I would definitely target older people first.”

The VNPT representative cited two reasons: older people have lower awareness of technology than generations who grew up with the Internet, and they tend to have accumulated savings from pensions and financial support from their children and grandchildren.

This view was shared by many speakers at the event. Lam Thanh, CEO of TikTok Vietnam, said that “older people are the most vulnerable group, not the young,” because they are often alone, resistant to changing long-held beliefs, and especially reluctant to ask their children and grandchildren when encountering harmful or misleading information online.

Real-world data also shows extremely high risks for this age group. One study found that people aged 60 and above are six times more likely to encounter fake news than average users. The stubborn trust of some older people can even leave authorities powerless. For example, in some cases where social media figures such as Hoang Huong were arrested, older people still believed it was merely a misunderstanding.

Beyond financial loss, elderly victims often suffer psychological shock, which can lead to a rejection of technology altogether. Than Van Dung from Viettel Cyber Security, shared a story about his grandmother in her 80s: “She strongly opposes bank transfers and asks why such things are created to scam people.”

Dung said someone who has never personally experienced fraud but hears many such stories may develop negative reactions toward technologies that have become everyday standards.

There have been heartbreaking cases in reality. One involved a nearly 80-year-old woman in Ha Tinh who insisted on transferring VND2 billion to scammers because she believed her son had been in an accident, despite repeated intervention by bank staff, until the police had to step in in early December.

The solutions 

Vietnam has about 19 million older people, a figure expected to rise to 25 million by 2030, accounting for one quarter of the population. 

Older people are increasingly being exploited and scammed. Experts say it is necessary to strengthen communication campaigns and improve information security and cybersecurity skills so that the Internet truly becomes a trustworthy space for all age groups, including older people.

Lien Nguyen, head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Vietnam at Google Asia-Pacific, said the company has rolled out specialized tools such as anti-scam handbooks and safe Internet guides for older users in Singapore, and has coordinated with agencies in Vietnam to conduct online scam awareness campaigns specifically for older people.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese telecom operators are striving to build automatic “protective layers,” such as integrating directly into Wi-Fi modems. With just one app, users can manage all connected devices, including cameras, TVs, and smartphones.

Viettel has proposed a model similar to Singapore’s ScamShield, with the participation of financial institutions, telecom operators, and citizens. 

Under this model, financial institutions are responsible for detecting financial fraud, blocking and cutting off scam money flows, and mandating the deployment of safety solutions for citizens. Telecom operators provide early warnings and block scam calls, messages, and websites, and citizens share information with agencies and organizations.

“For a populous country like Vietnam, if telecom operators, authorities, banks, and citizens work together, we can achieve very positive results in combating scams,” Than Van Dung said.

Despite technological advances, humans remain the weakest link. Oversharing, such as posting ID photos, QR codes, or personal schedules indiscriminately on social media. exposes identities and allows criminals to track us in “real time.”

In addition, many people have not enabled two-factor authentication, do not hide sensitive information, and lack skills to recognize fake news and verify sources. Equipping oneself with basic knowledge and skills to protect personal information is the “key” to staying safe in the digital environment.

Ngo Minh Hieu, director of an anti-scam initiative, reminded users of several rules for personal data protection, from two-factor authentication and safeguarding sensitive information to responsible sharing behavior and a mindset of a “digital vaccine.”

“In the data era, personal security is no longer a choice but a survival skill,” expert Ngo Minh Hieu said.

Du Lam