Digital Ambassadors
The Digital Ambassadors CourseDigital CitizenshipObjective 2: Protecting Yourself From Scams And Phishing
Protecting Yourself Against Scams
How can you help older adults protect themselves from Scams? Share the following appropriate tips with them and find examples to share with the people you will be teaching.
Positive Language
ON THE PHONE
- Ignore unsolicited calls, robocalls, or calls from numbers you are not familiar with.
- Create contacts for your commonly called numbers, such as family, friends, medical providers, and others. These can be displayed on your phone when they call.
- Screen calls using voicemail if you're unsure who is calling. Scammers often co-opt local numbers, may include names, or may even use a generic name like "Healthcare." If they don't leave a voicemail, it wasn't important.
- Don't leave your full name on your voicemail message.
- Learn how to block callers on your phone(s). Especially block unidentified numbers that won't leave a voicemail.
- Don't call back an unfamiliar caller even if they do leave a voicemail and sound legitimate, especially if you weren't expecting the call. Look up the company and call their official contact number to confirm.
- Never make payments through gift cards or electronic transfers as a request from a call (or email or other contact).
- Examples of phone scams
WEBSITES/ ONLINE
- Check to be sure any site that asks for personal information is a secure site. Secure sites begin with HTTPS://. It indicates you have a secure encrypted connection. Never order or put your credit card information on any site that does not begin with HTTPS.
- Be careful what you download from the Internet. Viruses and malware can easily be transferred to your computer if you click on the wrong link.
- Don't click on pop-up windows. If a message pops up that says your computer is infected with malware, it is usually a scam. If you get a pop-up message from a site you trust, don't click on it. Go directly to the website itself. It could be a scammer trying to get your computer information.
- Do you know how to help participants cut off pop-up blockers?
- Examples of web-based scams
Negative Language
EMAILS:
- Don't click on any links in emails that you receive and are suspicious of.
- Never open attachments if you don't know the sender. They often contain viruses.
- Look for typos in the email or text.
- Check to see who sent the email by clicking on the drop-down arrow by the name.
- Article: Example of Email Scams
SHOPPING:
- Only shop at reputable online merchants. Be careful about any online merchant that you have never heard of. Many are legitimate but some might be out to steal your credit card number or other financial information, or simply fail to deliver what you've paid for. When in doubt see if there are reviews or comments about the merchant or ask for help.
- Use credit cards to pay for online purchases.
- If you don't have a credit card, you can use your debit card or safe online payment services, such as Paypal.
- Never send cash, cashier's checks, gift cards, or money orders. Even sending a personal check can be dangerous. It's best to use a credit card because, if there is a dispute, the credit card company will stop the charge or refund their money while they investigate their claim. Debit cards also have protections but sometimes you have to wait to get your money back. Services like Paypal, Android Pay, and Apple Pay also have some protections.
- How to Spot a Fake Shopping Site
REFLECT: How can you share some of this information with the people you are helping?