According to the study, the information typically given by children online tends to be marketing-related, instead of security breaches. It's more stuff that's of value to a marketer, such as product information, family activities, etc. It's more of an educational issue for kids in learning how to use the Net. Older Victims Interestingly, the eMarketer report also found that the greatest percentage of users falling victim to online fraud are not children, but rather the Generation X and Baby Boom generations. According to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, only 4.1 percent of Internet frauds affect victims under the age of 20.
Auction sites are the primary source of Internet fraud, according to the report.
Over 86 percent of e-fraud instances in the year 2000 were directly attributed to online auction activity, the report said. Second, there are the people who will fall victim to various scams like work at home schemes, etc. Kids aren't going to be doing that, they're not the major shoppers online. In addition, those who shop more regularly and who have more experience on the Net are more likely to provide their personal information online, according to eMarketer. The majority of users who are willing to share their personal information with Web sites do so to receive personalized services, the report said.