Scam Defense

Introduction

Welcome to your Scam Defense education and practice session designed specifically for senior citizens. We congratulate you for taking the time to educate yourself and learn to protect yourself. The material is produced and offered by E-men. E-men has been working with seniors to navigate the world of technology for at least three decades and understands the unique challenges older adults like him face in the digital age. He aims to empower you with the knowledge and skills to protect yourself and your personal information. 

Understanding the Digital Landscape

Importance of the Internet

The Internet plays a crucial role in our daily lives. It connects us, provides information, and offers countless opportunities, including scam and fraud possibilities!

Scammer Exploitation

Unfortunately, scammers also have access to the internet and are increasingly sophisticated in exploiting technology and targeting the world population, including senior citizens. They prey on trust, vulnerability, fear, and greet!

Common Scams & Warning Signs

Let's talk about common scams you might encounter online. The scam categories are:

• Charity Scams: The act of using deception to obtain money from people who believe they are donating to a cause via charity. Charity fraud has become a widespread practice. 

• Identity Theft Scams: A fraudster uses your personal information to empty your bank account, create new accounts or credit cards, take out loans, or commit crimes. 

• Grandparent Scams: Works by sending an urgent message or email to a grandparent pretending to be a child or grandchild needing financial help. This labeling is an intentional strategy scammers use to weed out people who would be unlikely to fall for the scam. Be aware of scammers using artificial intelligence to produce fake yet authentic-looking pictures, videos, sound and audio, and more as proof!

• Government Scams: An educational or career advancement grant, advanced fee, tax penalty, or pre-approved loan or credit card scam that requires you to pay processing fees. Governments have many departments which can be baiting you. The scam relies on the word "government" to offer credibility or anger/scare you.

• Phishing Scams: Social engineering tricking people into revealing sensitive information, installing ransomware, and more via emails, texts, websites, or mail. They aim to collect data and offer money, prizes, credit cards, financial accounts, etc. The main appeal is to one's sense of duty, charity, support, fear, or greed!

• Romance Scams: A confidence trick involving romantic intentions towards you, gaining the victim's affection, and then using that goodwill to get you to send money.

• Social Media Scams: Prime territory for Internet-based scams that target teens, loners, and mature adults alike. Humans are social animals, and recent pandemic lockdowns have left many alone and in seclusion. These scams use popular social networking sites where scammers create fake profiles, befriend innocent people, and use social connection needs!

• Data Verification, Fake Tech Support, Online Shopping, Collection Agency Scams, and more.

Warning Signs

To recognize scams, be aware of warning signs, such as:

• Poor English in the USA.

• Unsolicited emails, pop-ups, or text messages.

• Attempts to scare you or create a sense of greed in you. 

• Sales pitches claiming you've won a lottery you never played, involving people you love, do not know, or any other "reason" seemingly improbable or unbelievable. These require taking an action on your part, such as "click here," "call us," "donate," etc.

Interactive Activity - Spot the Scam

Now, let's share and make this engaging. What are some examples of real-life scams that you have experienced? Your task is to describe the fraud in one sentence. Share the warning signs you saw and what you learned!

Safety Tips

Dos

When it comes to online safety, here are some important "dos":

• Exercise caution, not fear or greed

• When in doubt, breathe, smile, and let it go!

• Ask a trusted friend, family member, or EHTechBits if it seems urgent or scary! 

• Create strong, unique passwords for different accounts.

• Use two-factor authentication when available.

Don'ts

Equally crucial are the "don'ts". 

• Don't click on unexpected and unknown links or download attachments.

• Keep personal and financial information private. Nothing is free! Your data has value and is bought and sold. Don't give it away just because someone asked!

• Be cautious about sharing information over the phone.

Safeguard Your Personal Information

Protecting your personal information is vital. Recognize secure websites by "https" and a padlock icon.

Q&A Session

It is your time to ask questions or share any experiences or concerns. We're here to help.

Closing Remarks

To wrap up, let's summarize what we've discussed. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

• When in doubt, let it go.

• STOP is a good plan of action :).

• Breathe, smile, release fear and greed. 

• Do not share personal info, passwords, and private data.

• Trust your instincts and silver stars; you have much knowledge, which is your best defense. Trust it!

• We hope you leave here feeling more confident and empowered to protect yourself from scams.

• Share what you've learned with your friends and family; you can help them stay safe, too.

Thank you for your attention. This content is copyrighted and produced by www.EHTechBits.com. We hope you find this information engaging, informative, and actionable. We encourage you to explore the world of online scams firsthand by searching and looking for information. Online scams are now part of our digital lives. Knowing the basics will support your online safety and wellness as time and technology advance. 

If you have questions or need personalized guidance, please use the Schedule Appt. button below to reach us and request a Free 30-minute Intro and Discovery Phone Appointment. We offer one-on-one training and mentoring tailored specifically for you.