Behind the Campaign: Raising Awareness About Online Scams with LawNY

Written by: Elijah Bowley

Project Manager: Sydney Young

Empowering Millennials and Gen Z to Stay Scam-Smart

Online scams increasingly target Millennials and Gen Z, exploiting their digital habits through fake job offers, phishing schemes and social media fraud. Many victims don’t realize they’ve been scammed until it’s too late. Recognizing this growing threat, LawNY has developed a campaign to raise awareness and provide resources to help young adults recognize and avoid scams. Our team is working to create a multi-platform approach that educates, engages and connects people to legal support services if they fall victim to an online scam.​

The Challenge: Raising Awareness and Encouraging Careful Observation

​Despite being tech-savvy, Millennials and Gen Z often believe they can easily spot scams, making them more vulnerable to sophisticated fraudulent schemes. Notably, Gen Z individuals are three times more likely to fall for online scams compared to Baby Boomers (16% vs. 5%) and twice as likely to have their social media accounts hacked (17% vs. 8%).1  Additionally, in 2022, online scam victims under 20 years old lost an estimated $210 million, a significant increase from $8.2 million in 2017.2 The primary challenge LawNY faces is increasing awareness of these risks and helping young people stay observant. Many individuals do not believe they are at risk until they experience a scam firsthand; therefore, this campaign is designed to shift perceptions and encourage proactive scam prevention.

The Strategy: Research-Driven Solutions

To develop an effective campaign, we first dug into the issue through research. We examined cybersecurity studies and scam victim demographics, revealing that while Millenials and Gen Z are highly active online, they often underestimate their risk for falling to online scams. Our campus interviews and surveys confirmed this, showing us that many young adults are overconfident when it comes to spotting fraud. However, a significant number has either been targeted or knew someone who had been targeted. 

These insights shaped the “Feels Off? Log Off” strategy, a campaign designed to help young people recognize red flags, trust their instincts and take action before they become victims. By making scams feel real and relevant, the campaign empowers young adults to stay smart when it comes to fraudulent scams in their digital lives. 

The “Feels Off? Log Off” Campaign

A tabling event hosted by Technically Speaking.

LawNY’s campaign will take a multi-channel approach to maximize reach to Millenials and Gen Z:

• Social Media Outreach:Short-form videos, infographics and real-life scam stories will flood Instagram and TikTok to educate and engage, making the issue feel real and relatable.  

• Campus Engagement: Brochures with QR codes linking to LawNY resources will share critical information and tabling events at universities will provide in-person education.​

• Newsletter & Blog Integration:  A monthly newsletter and blog covering common scams, prevention tips, and legal resources will reinforce campaign messaging across multiple channels.

To ensure the campaign remains effective, our KPIs include social media engagement (shares, views and comments), website traffic and QR code scans, and inquiries for assistance through LawNY’s website.

Next Steps

As the campaign evolves, we will refine strategies based on research and audience engagement. Our agency created the 'Feels Off? Log Off' campaign to aid LawNY in equipping Millennials and Gen Z with the tools to protect themselves from online scams. Through digital outreach, printed materials, and direct interaction, the campaign empowers young people to take control of their digital safety in an increasingly scam-filled world.

Stay aware, stay safe, and when in doubt, log off.