How can people who didn’t grow up with technology protect themselves against some of the most common types of online fraud?
The conventional thinking is that aging people tend to be at a higher risk of falling prey to scam artists than their children or grandchildren. Regardless of whether this is true or not, older people in the United States alone are swindled out of some US$3 billion a year via all manner of schemes, including internet-enabled theft, fraud, and exploitation. Moreover, any such statistics are likely to represent only a fraction of the actual damage, since many victims are too embarrassed to come forward and admit that they had been taken in by scammers.
What makes many older people vulnerable to online fraud, anyway? Among other things, fraudsters may exploit their trusting nature and, in some cases, deteriorating cognitive abilities caused by aging. Needless to say, the con artists may leverage the fact that the intended victims didn’t grow up with technology and never took even the most basic cybersecurity training. Partly with that in mind, this year’s series of articles marking Antimalware Day will conclude with a few tips that can help (not only) the elderly stay safe from common types of online scams.
Be skeptical
Never assume that a stranger online is a trustworthy person. Indeed, you would be well-advised to always consider the possibility that the unexpected message may be a scam attempt. By extension, you should ..
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