Helping an older parent stay safe online
Many of the people we help at the workshop are in their seventies and eighties and use their computers every day. Scammers target this group not because they're less able, but because they're more likely to be polite, trusting and at home to answer the phone.
The aim isn't to take the computer away or to lecture. It's to set things up sensibly and make it easy to ask for help.
Start with one conversation
The most valuable thing you can say is: "You'll never be in trouble with me for asking, and you can always hang up on anyone." Embarrassment stops people reporting scams, and that gives criminals a second chance.
Agree a simple rule together: before paying anyone, or letting anyone onto the computer, they ring you or someone they trust first.
Practical things to set up
- Automatic updates switched on for the computer, tablet and phone
- Reliable antivirus that someone is keeping an eye on
- A password manager, or a written password book kept safely at home
- Two-factor authentication on email and banking
- Registration with the Telephone Preference Service to cut cold calls
- Call blocking on the landline, if the provider offers it
- A backup of photos and documents, so a scam or failure doesn't mean losing them
The four phrases worth remembering
Almost every scam uses at least one of these. If they hear one, it's time to stop and check.
- "Act now" — urgency is the scammer's main tool
- "Don't tell anyone" — no real organisation asks for secrecy
- "Let me onto your computer" — never for a cold caller
- "Move your money" — banks never ask this
If something has already happened
Stay calm and reassuring. Ring the bank on 159, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, change the email password from another device, and have the computer checked if anyone had access to it.