Because our elderly loved ones come from a greatly different generation from us, many of them are not as well-versed in the world’s technological advances. In fact, many of them have a difficult time navigating a smartphone or even a flip phone, which, to us, is one of the most basic phones.
Because of this difficulty caused by the generational gap, our elderly loved ones are more prone to internet scams than any other age group. So how can you ensure online safety for your elderly loved ones?
Amity Home Care, a provider of Home Care in Orange Connecticut, gives you these tips to help your elderly stay safe online:
- Cross-check the website name or URL.
Your elderly loved ones may have difficulty grasping the concept of the URL or the Uniform Resource Locator. It is the address of a website that you see written out on the address bar and it is possible that, to them, all URLs look the same. Plenty of URLs that end up being scams or sources of a virus are a combination of letters and numbers, like www.ab12c3.com or similar.
- Conduct online searches.
If a website is encouraging your elderly to contact this or that company, ensure the credibility of that company by researching thoroughly about them. Use their own weapon—the internet—against them. If no results come up or if the results that do come up end up being highly questionable, it’s high time to steer your elderly away from that.
- Consider the payment options being provided.
Pay for your transactions at your own risk. With money involved, it’s best to be by your elderly’s side so that you will be able to guide them. Wiring money is the riskiest process, but even though credit cards have a significant fraud protection in them, they are still not completely safe.
- Advise your elderly loved one to avoid opening links in unsolicited emails.
Your elderly loved one may not know it, but many of the links in unsolicited emails lead to sites that install virus in your computer. Some of them may even be wired to take your personal information. To be completely safe, it’s best to read these unsolicited emails thoroughly first before clicking on anything.
- Do not share personal information that may lead to personal identification.
Many sites will ask for your elderly’s name and this is basic information. However, not all information should be given out, like a home address or a pet’s name or something that can lead to hackers being able to access personal accounts or even credit card information.
These 5 tips are just some of the safety measures you and your elderly loved one can take to avoid internet scams and to stay safe when browsing the world wide web. As a provider of home care services in Orange Connecticut, we are concerned for the overall well-being of the elderly, especially because they are very vulnerable and more prone to the dangers of the more unfamiliar world of the internet. When you’re not around to accompany your vulnerable senior loved one at home, let us be their caring companion. Contact us at Amity Home Care.