Online safety starts with education. Seniors face the same malware and phishing attacks as everyone else, but they may be more vulnerable because they may be less tech-savvy.
We’ve put together some simple steps that the whole family, including your grandparents, can take to stay safe online.
Educate seniors about basic online safety
Take the time to talk to your grandparents about online safety. Even if it seems obvious to you, make it clear to your grandparents that not everything can be trusted and that they should never give out personal information, such as online banking details, to strangers.
Seniors face the same risks online as everyone else, but hackers have an ever-increasing array of tools to scam users out of their money, steal data, damage devices, and distribute dangerous files and scams online.
Explain what spam is
Spam emails can be particularly dangerous for people who are inexperienced in spotting them. Unfortunately, there are quite a few scams to watch out for. Here are some of the most common examples of email scams:
Free gift and prize offers;
Lotteries and fake charity pages;
Requests claiming to be from a government agency, bank, logistics company, etc.
Advertising attempts.
Educate your loved ones about these scams and explain that if they have any doubts about the authenticity of an email, they should first inform you and verify the information.
Advise your grandparents to always be skeptical – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Tips you can do to improve your seniors’ online safety:
Check the privacy settings on every app, device, and platform used by everyone in your household;
Keep your operating system and programs up to date. Updates may seem like a nuisance, but they are your first line of defense. Updates are usually released to protect against any new threats. It is a good idea to set your computer to automatically install updates as they become available;
Download a good antivirus program for your grandparents’ computer. Using good antivirus software is the easiest way to stay safe online. Show your grandparents how to update it or update it regularly for them;
Teach them how to use social media safely – avoid posting personal information like phone numbers and addresses, and make sure they know who they are before accepting friend requests;
Warn your grandparents never to give out important information to strangers, such as private information, phone number, birthday, bank account number, passwords, etc.;
Most of the time, online scammers will be very insistent and will demand that you act quickly, never give in to pressure, and verify the information you are given;
Advise your grandparents to use different passwords. The best way to ensure the security of online accounts is to use different and complex passwords for each account. Understandably, passwords can be difficult to guess, so if your grandparents are more comfortable with that, you can write them all down and keep them in one place, but it should be a safe place. It is not recommended to carry a pad of passwords with you. Read more about creating and storing secure passwords here.
Do not click on links or download anything. If your grandparents are even slightly suspicious about the notifications they receive, do not follow any links or download files;
If you suspect a scam, ask yourself clarifying questions like, “Why does the tech support person need you to download a file?” or, “How did you win a lottery you never entered?” By asking yourself these types of questions, grandparents will likely realize that the email or message is fraudulent;
Use Google. Most scammers aren’t very creative. There’s a good chance that the scam targeting grandparents has been used before. Advise grandparents to copy and paste text from the email or simply type a few words describing their situation followed by the word “scam” and see if the same scam has been attempted on other people.
Always remind your grandparents not to be afraid to ask for help. Also, answer any questions or concerns they may have. It’s a good idea to regularly monitor their social media accounts and banking activities to help keep your loved one safe online.
