By Leonard Fischer
Gannett News Service

Older Americans are more likely to recognize spam and avoid its pitfalls, such as online fraud, says a new study.

But they're also the least likely demographic to use spam-blocking tools, says Applied Research, which surveyed 1,000 Internet users 18 and older for Symantec, a developer of Internet security software.

Only 23 percent of those 65 or older say they have opened unsolicited e-mail. In contrast, about one-third of Americans 18 to 64 say they have opened spam.

"The online population for the senior demographic is growing faster than any other group, making them a very real target for spammers," says Matthew Moynahan, a Symantec vice president.

But seniors also are less likely to be fooled by phony spam offers. Only 13 percent say they've responded to offers they later discovered were fraudulent. About 21 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds say they've been fooled by fraudulent e-mail offers.

Los Angeles resident Ophelia Nodarse, 78, says the amount of time she spends deleting spam is cutting into her enjoyment of the Internet.

Only 47 percent of seniors say they use any spam-blocking tools, compared with about two-thirds of 18- to 64-year-olds.