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It’s official — social media and smartphones are no longer the exclusive domain of millennials and generation Z.
A new study has found that no less than 67% of 65-74s in the U.K. and the U.S. use the internet, with 34% having social media accounts.
“Although a lot of seniors are embracing smart and social technology, they need to be reminded about its dangers. Online scammers can take advantage of older people’s trusting nature,” says Daniel Markuson, the digital privacy expert at NordVPN (nordvpn.com).
Seniors use the internet for the same reasons as everyone else — talking with friends and family, shopping, watching videos, and reading the news. However, the elderly are often targeted by scammers, who see them as wealthy and vulnerable.
Scams try to exploit weakness, so the digital privacy expert identified the five most common mistakes made by inexperienced internet users.
He also listed some behaviors to avoid in order to protect yourself:
1. Using weak passwords. When signing up to a new account, your first priority is to set a strong, complex, and — above all — unique password.
Use a password manager, like NordPass, instead of writing passwords down in notebooks or text files. For best security, use different passwords for each account, changing them every once in a while to avert possible data breaches.
2. Sharing personal information. Avoid putting your email, phone number, home address, or vacation plans on blogs, forums, and social networks like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Never reveal your Social Security number online, as identity thieves can wreak havoc with that kind of information.
Markuson advises to keep a cool head online — your shouldn’t share feelings or participate in heated discussions. Cybercriminals are looking for emotionally vulnerable people whom they can exploit using psychological techniques.
3. Falling for online shopping scams. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, seniors lose over $3 billion each year to financial scams.
New or trusting internet users are rich pickings for fraudsters. Think 90% discounts, $10 Ray-Bans, or even cheap diamond jewelry. Seniors in particular often fall for magical (yet unproven) treatments that promise to cure their health issues.
Remember this simple rule: If it sounds too good to be true, it most definitely is. Some websites will send fake items instead of what was advertised; some will simply take your money and run.
And in either case, scammers now have their hands on the victim’s credit card details.
So how do you identify a fake e-shop? Markuson says to look for the telltale signs: poor website design, broken English, suspicious domain names (e.g., famous brand names with extra words like “deal” or “sale” thrown in, such as “michaelkorsdiscounts.net”), shady contact information, unclear returns policies, poor customer reviews, and so on.
4. Clicking on phishing links. Fraudulent emails hide malware and viruses to infect your computer.
Don’t open phishing emails, download suspicious attachments, or click on scammy links: Hackers use them to inject tracking programs and potentially even hijack your device.
According to Markuson, you should always verify the email’s sender and contents before clicking anything inside.
5. Believing fake news. The internet is full of seemingly reputable websites that aim to influence readers through fake news. Misleading news about politics or finances may cause panic and cloud judgment.
Fake news can do a lot of damage, so learn how to spot the warning signs.
Check the source (what’s the website’s mission and contact info?), author (are they credible?), and date (reposting old news doesn’t make them relevant to currents events). These steps can go a long way toward spotting someone with an agenda.
If in doubt, refer to an expert or a fact-checking website.