Grandparents, Silver Surfers, please beware of computer scams! Here are a few wild stories.
When a granddad answered the phone, the voice on the other end said he was the man’s grandson and he needed money immediately. It was a long-distance call and the connection wasn’t good, but Grandpa sent the cash. Big mistake. The thief found information about his “mark” on computer sites. Similar money scams are done via computer every day of the year.
Identity theft often begins on the victim’s computer. Beware of purported businesses or government agencies asking for personal information on your computer. It will be worth your time to read articles about scams online, fraud, snoops, hoaxes to inform yourself or seniors you know who may be vulnerable to them.
Here are the ten most common scams perpetrated on the elderly. Read and learn because information is your best line of defense against online scams and emails hoaxes.
Take a look at snopes to learn some more about money scammers! Ask Granny would like to add that if someone wishes to access internet banking, always make sure that the bank’s website opens in “HTTPS” format instead of plain “HTTP” (this can be seen in the beginning of the link in address bar of the web browser). HTTPS is secured hypertext which inlayman’s terms means that whatever information (essentially the login
credentials) the user feeds in, is encrypted and cannot be retrieved by
anyone sniffing the network with wrong intensions.
This would ensure that their credentials remain safe and they can enjoy the convenience of internet banking without worrying about its misuse!
Take care.
