Cyber Smart in Your Senior Years

Online fraud targeting our older population is an emerging public health concern and a consequential social dilemma in today ‘s age. In fact, studies show that 61% of people have helped their parents or grandparents with maneuvering the net and trying to convince them of how dangerous being online can undeniably be. Internet fraud can cause irreversible financial deprivation and can also result in negative aftermaths, like depression, anxiety, along with psychological pressures, such as anger, shame and self-blame, especially in older victims.  

With our aging population, it’s important to stay sharp in our senior years and staying smart on the net as it happens can be easier than you may think.  

This article is to help yourself or a loved one learn ways of protecting themselves against Cyber threats that are just as they sound: threatening.

Basic Knowledge and Passwords

Understand that prioritizing the main things that are important to you, or a loved one should always take priority. Focus primarily on things that are more likely to happen such as phishing (more on that in a following article) and smishing scams, malware, identity theft and romance scams as main examples.  

If the person you’re helping has been the victim of a cyber threat in the past, talk to them about how it happened and help them understand where they can make different choices to prevent it from happening again.  

Next, learning how to use a password manager can be a key skill since making sure passwords are strong is a good first step, but with the abundance of passwords we need these days, remembering them all is a major challenge.  

One password manager recommendation is the   Get Cyber Safe password organizer where passwords can be written down and stored in a safe place in case they’re forgotten, because let’s face it, at any age we’ve all forgotten a password at some point!

To protect ourselves and our online information, one tip to follow is using strong passwords that are difficult for someone to guess. Here are some tips to creating a strong password,

• Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols

• Make passwords at least 12 characters long

• Avoid using personal information like birthdates or family names and yes, even your pets name

• Use a different password for different accounts

• Consider using a reputable password manager to store and generate passwords safely

• Make sure you are doing the same for Wi-Fi settings. As a pro-tip, if you can avoid it, don’t rely on Open-Wi-Fi networks because as you guessed it, they aren’t secure. An open Wi-Fi network is a wireless network allowing on to connect without entering any password to connect.

Another handy tip is to always make sure to always keep your operating system, Browers, and anti-virus software up to date. Disabling the software’s automatic update process can leave your computer vulnerable to compromise like leaving a door or window open when you go out for a walk.

Emails @ Risk

Emails are a gateway for hackers to get into your computer so learning the signs of fake emails is incredibly important.  

Here are just a few examples of scam emails to watch for,

• First off, don’t ignore it completely.  

• Do NOT click or open any attachments

• If you’re not too sure of the legitimacy of the email, reach out to the the service’s contacts directly. For example, if you receive a suspicious email about Disney + that says it needs a new credit card or payment, call them or reach out to them before action. Do not do this by replying to the email, use a different way of contact the service.

• Keep an eye on email addresses that just plain-out odd looking like this one, ipad@jyytthh.uuyyyh,com  

• If they don’t refer to you by your name, only by your email, chances are, it’s a scam

• If the information is not all there, only vaguely with bits and pieces missing it is likely also a scam

• Claims that you must log into a website or your account will be closed or charged

• Spelling mistakes are another clue the email is a scam. Services/companies will generally avoid spelling mistakes when they communicate with their customers.

Always make sure you report suspicious behavior when you notice it. Such places as your local police services, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center for those in Canada and Cybertip.ca.

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Understanding Certain Scams  

Online fraud is especially concerning for seniors and unfortunately, it happens all too often through various different avenues. Furthermore, scammers often target this demographic, exploiting their trust, good nature and lack of familiarity with online platforms. Educating our aging community on online fraud prevention and providing them with the necessary tools to protect themselves is essential.  

Below are some of the most common online frauds targeting seniors that need to be watched for,  

1. Phishing Scams: Scammers use fake emails or messages to obtain personal information, disguised as reputable sources.

2. Online Shopping Scams: Fraudulent websites or sellers try to sway seniors into paying for non-existent or low-quality products.

3. Investment Scams: Scammers promise unusually high investment returns, only to disappear with their money  

4. Romance Scams: Scammers build fake relationships, gaining someone’s trust and eventually asking for money, usually in large amounts or in the form of gift cards. Unfortunately, legitimate dating sites can be used by scammers to reach their potential victims. These legitimates sites work very hard to identify and disable scammer’s accounts but it’s wise to protect yourselves too!

5. Tech Support Scams: Scammers claim to be tech experts, charging seniors for unnecessary services or gaining access to their devices or places of residence for malicious intent.

Social engineering is a popular tactic scammers use to manipulate people into divulging sensitive information for malicious intent.  

Seniors should be aware of these tricky strategies:

Urgency: Scammers often create a false sense of urgency to pressure victims into acting quickly

Authority: They may disguise themselves as government officials or company executives to gain trust

Scarcity: Claims of limited time offers, or exclusive deals are common tactics

Familiarity: Scammers may pretend to harbor personal details to seem trustworthy

Reciprocity: They might offer an item for free but, expect something in return

Free Offer: If it’s being offered for free, chances are you are paying by providing the service/scammer with something else such as your identity. Recovering from identify theft is a very difficult task.

Lastly, if it sounds too good to be true, more often than not, it is.

Conclusion  

Online fraud prevention requires a combination of education, awareness, and caution. By understanding and educating oneself or someone else on the popular scams targeting the aging community and following the advice from articles such as this one, we can continue to exercise protection for yourself or loved ones and can significantly reduce the risk of becoming a victim to digital fraud. It's imperative that we come together to safeguard our seniors who are loved ones and friends and create a safer online community, especially nowadays as technology advances. However important it is to remain cautious, the internet is still a progressive tool for seniors to stay connected, enlightened, active and engaged. We can ensure our aging community thrives in the digital age with the right kind of support, and precautions.  

As a community, let's try to be more inclusive online for seniors, encouraging them to embrace technology with confidence, and knowledge so that they can navigate the online world with peace of mind.

Keep an eye out for more blog posts coming every second Monday. Our next article is an interesting look into the dark web and why it matters to stay one step ahead of its threats. In the coming weeks, we will also be following up with this article by discussing Red Flags of Phishing scams in more detail.  

About the Author

A graduate of Algonquin College and an experienced blogger and researcher, Ms. Wilson brings this and her Cybersecurity expertise to TENUMBRA’s Emerging Threats program. Not only does she assist our clients understand and counter new threats to their business operations but brings the knowledge and her perspective on these developments to our Attacker Emulation services.

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