The Aftermath of Technology-Mediated Scams: Strengthening Older Adults’ Efforts Toward Redress

Technology-mediated scams are a pervasive and enduring form of digital harm affecting older adults. While prior research has largely emphasized prevention, awareness, and risk perception, comparatively little attention has been paid to what follows after a scam occurs. Conceptualizing the scam as an unfolding event, we argue that each stage of the scam—before, during, and after—is shaped by distinct sociotechnical arrangements and relational dynamics that demand tailored forms of analysis and intervention. Through a multi-method study, we examine the during and after, paying specific attention to the post-scam, during which older adults navigate the affective, social, and material aftermath of scams. In doing so, we extend HCI's engagement with digital harm by articulating the post-scam as a critical site of coordination, redress, and justice-seeking, offering new directions for research and intervention.