Online Safety For Seniors: Won’t Get Fooled Again
Practical safety tips for everyday online tasks
According to a recent report from Seattle’s KING 5 news station, an elderly woman in Sedro-Woolley, Wash., was recently scammed out of more than $1 dollars by a multi-state online and phone-based fraud ring.
While a retiree losing her life savings after having her identity stolen is an extreme case of what can happen when cyber criminals strike, it doesn’t have to be that way. Online safety for seniors can be implemented and existing practices can be shored up by following a few simple and practical tips.
Internet Basics for Seniors: Keep Your Information Close
“Avoid sharing any of your personal information with anybody you don’t know,” Sedro-Woolley Police Chief Daniel Mcllraith told KING 5. “That’s a good practice.”
Being extremely wary of unsolicited requests for personal details from unknown people contacting you via text, email, video calls or telephone is a common-sense caution for anyone at any age. For example, if a delivery company texts you to report a payment issue you weren’t aware of, it may be a ruse to get you to share your credit or debit card number.
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Take a pause, then check that the sender is who they claim to be. An unrecognizable email address or the message being sent as a group text are common giveaways that there’s a scammer at the other end of the line. If you suspect any suspicious outreach, block the message and report it as spam. If a questionable query comes via a phone call, simply hang up. If it arrives in an attachment in an email, do not open the attachment. If a message appears to be legitimate, but you’re still suspicious, err on the side of caution. In fact, “err on the side of caution” is the bedrock concept of good internet safety for seniors.
Browse and Post Wisely
There’s no denying that reading celebrity news, or browsing couches to furnish your fantasy house, or catching up on the minutiae of your favorite sports team, or simply scrolling your social media feeds to see what your friends and loved ones are up to is a fun way to pass a little mindless time. But think twice before clicking on unknown links or responding to unsolicited pop-up messages on your phone or computer—especially if someone is trying to rush you into making a decision about something, or an offer is too good to be true, or you suspect product images have been “enhanced” with AI.
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Additionally, when sharing the bits and pieces of your life on social media pages, it’s a good practice to assume anything you post could be shared publicly. Keep from oversharing by leaving out personal details that could be used by criminals such as your home address, birthdates and other sensitive information. Want to share your exotic vacation with your interested following? Wait until after you’ve returned home so as to avoid sharing travel plans—and signaling when your home will be unoccupied—online.
Update software systems and passwords
Keeping anti-virus and security software systems updated on your devices is another way you can protect against hackers. If you’re a person who uses your date of birth or the year you were born as your password for online logins and device access, it’s time to change things up and embrace the safety that comes with randomness.
Because cyber criminals have tools that can guess short passwords, the National Cybersecurity Alliance suggests using unique passwords that are at least 16 characters long and include a mix of letters, symbols and numbers for each login. If keeping track of all of that seems daunting, never fear: That’s what password managers are for. Password managers like Bitwarden or LastPass have robust free versions, are easy to install and use, and can help keep track of your passwords across devices. And they can generate those 16-character passwords as well as keep track of them for you.
Lastly, no matter the device or activity, your internet service provider matters. Lightcurve offers the kind of security that only comes from a truly local internet service provider that has been connecting people for a century. Online safety for seniors is important to us because our friends and loved ones live in the Washington communities we serve. Learn more about the Lightcurve difference, and how the seniors in your life can have safe internet that is Otterly Fast.