The world of internet scams is a lucrative industry, and with more seniors getting online, they have sadly become a popular target. Scammers prey on the elderly as a group typically less adept at technology, taking advantage of them through identity theft and fraud scams. Keep your senior loved ones safe by speaking to them about scammers, and warn them of the traps:
- Never open emails from unknown sources. If it’s not a name you know or a company you deal with, it might be spam.
- Never send money to anyone. If someone asks you for help or promises a reward, it is almost certainly a scam.
- Don’t give out your password or details. Your bank, or other companies you have accounts with, will never ask you for your password, so anyone who asks is attempting identity theft.
- Set up privacy controls on social media networks.
- If one of your contacts emails you a link that looks suspicious, don’t open it. Their email may have been hacked. Alert them to change their password, which usually deals with the problem.
- Take a class tailored to senior internet users to feel more confident with your computer.