Reading · Cyber Communicator ✨

Earlier this month (June 15th) was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) and it got me thinking that everyone HAS an elder or two in their lives who we care and love for. You may have helped an elder out with errands, appointments, basic home maintenance, and even showed them how to use their technology.

But have you considered supporting elders with tools and knowledge on how to stay safe against cyber criminals?

As technology feels more and more sophisticated these days, accessing services require using methods like two-factor authentication codes or longer passwords. It’s becoming normal to have more than one action (your password and a code) to log into valuable accounts like a bank or email service.

Nowadays, social media platforms seem to keep individual profiles open to the public by default.

Even scammers are pretending to be from legitimate businesses and government organizations. Those scammers are using everything from fake emails to spoofed phone numbers and spam texts to get to elderly victims’ money.

This is a lot to keep track of and to stay safe and secure while using these technology tools and services.

According to the FBI’s 2025 IC3 Annual Report, elders reported a staggering $7.748 Billion in losses due to internet crime. Victims and losses keep climbing year after year.

Beyond the monetary cost, the experience of losing savings and retirement to a scammer can be mentally traumatizing for an elder.

According to Lisa Plaggemier, the Executive Director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance, seniors “...know they are being targeted, and they’re mad about it.” We can fight back and we can empower our elders with the tools and knowledge to keep them safe against scammers.

A scam can start out as simple as a fake message or imposter call. It could be an update about a prescription, bank transfer alert, reminder for an appointment, shipment or purchase alert, retirement account check up, or a follow up for tech support. It can sound urgent or sound like a loved one.

Here are some ways that you can empower the elderly in your life to stay safe against cyber scammers. Consider having a conversation about the following tips (even make it a progressive weekly or monthly lunch or dinner talk!):

Learn how to spot the signs of a scam
- Was the call or message an expected communication?
- Is the caller in a hurry, uses threats, or something feels off?
- Do they ask for payment via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards?

Verify the contents of the email, text, or call
- Is the email address or number familiar?
- Is this a business or organization you recognize?
- Can you independently check if the website or phone number is legitimate?
- Are there grammar errors or spelling mistakes?

Safeguard information and privacy
- Perform a search of phone numbers, residential addresses, and names on popular search engines. Find out what information is out there and request a removal of private information.
- Shore up social media account privacy and adjust privacy settings accordingly.
- Remove data from data broker websites either by requesting each one individually or using a privacy service tool.

Use stronger account login methods
- Create and use longer passwords
- Use a password manager or password diary
- Use different passwords for different accounts
- Enable two-factor authentication (such as email or text codes)
- Upgrade to more authentication methods (such as authenticator apps or passkeys)

Keep devices updated
- Enable auto-updates when possible
- Upgrade devices if the device can’t be updated to the latest software

Use a “safe word” that has been communicated in-person
- Nowadays, AI voice clones have been used to scam the elderly pretending to be their children or grandchildren.
- A “safe word” may be useful in cases where a scam caller is using urgency as a tactic to let our guard down.

These tips can offer ways to disrupt scammers from taking advantage of seniors.

It doesn’t pay for scammers to take advantage of the elderly, they get caught. If you suspect that the elder in your life is being scammed, help them out by reporting the crime. You can report the situation with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the ReportFraud.ftc.gov website, your state’s Attorneys General, and local law enforcement. They may need as much documented information as possible to complete a fraud report.

It’s important that we include our elders in our technology worlds so they stay connected with us as much as possible. I hope that with these tips and suggestions that you are empowered to keep your family and friends, and your elders, safe and secure!

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If you helped an elder with at least one or two of these tips, please let me know by commenting on this article! I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this topic!

Support Your Elders Against Cyber Scams

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