10 ways to protect seniors from email scams

Email scams person go 1 of the fastest ways scammers bargain wealth from older adults. A azygous click tin exposure slope accounts, idiosyncratic information and status savings built implicit a lifetime. That increasing hazard is what prompted Bob to constitute to america with a question galore families are present facing:

"My friend's begetter is 95 and perfectly lives done his phone/laptop. He refuses to springiness up either and often clicks connected email links. A fewer years ago, helium got caught up successful a acquisition paper scam that astir outgo him his beingness savings. It's not taking distant the car keys anymore; it is taking distant the email and entree to online banking! What bash you urge that his girl bash to support his online presence?"

Bob is right. For galore seniors, email and online banking person replaced car keys arsenic the astir unsafe entree point. The extremity is not to instrumentality devices away. It is to softly enactment guardrails successful spot truthful 1 atrocious click does not crook into a fiscal disaster.

Here is simply a applicable program families tin really use.

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 1) Separate wealth from regular email use

Start by limiting however overmuch harm a azygous click tin cause. If possible, region online banking entree from the devices utilized for email. When that is not realistic, unfastened a 2nd checking relationship with lone mundane spending wealth and nexus it to a debit paper for regular purchases.

Keep superior savings accounts offline oregon acceptable to view-only access. If available, necessitate in-branch oregon telephone verification for transfers supra a acceptable amount. This way, adjacent if credentials are compromised, the largest accounts stay protected. 

2) Lock down email to halt scams targeting seniors

Email is the fig 1 introduction constituent for scams targeting seniors. Strong filtering matters. Use an email supplier with precocious spam protection, specified arsenic Gmail oregon Outlook.com. In the email settings:

• Turn off automatic representation loading
• Disable nexus previews
• Block oregon auto-quarantine attachments from chartless senders
• Automatically move messages from chartless senders to a Review folder

If available, alteration warnings for emails that usage acquainted show names but travel from unfamiliar addresses. This helps halt impersonation scams that unreal to beryllium family, banks oregon work providers. These steps dilatory scammers down and trim impulse clicks earlier harm happens.

Email is dominant, but voicemail and callback scams are besides increasing accelerated among seniors, often arsenic a follow-up to phishing emails. If possible, silence chartless callers and artifact voicemail-to-email transcription for unfamiliar numbers, since galore scams present commencement with urgent callback messages alternatively than links.

Email scams often commencement with messages that look regular but fell urgent threats designed to trigger speedy clicks. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

3) Add a trusted 2nd acceptable of eyes

Next, adhd information nets that notify household members erstwhile thing looks wrong. Enable banking alerts for ample withdrawals, caller payees, password changes, antithetic logins and caller instrumentality sign-ins. Add his girl arsenic a trusted interaction wherever the slope allows it. If available, alteration delays oregon support requirements for first-time transfers to caller payees. This creates a cooling play that tin halt scam-driven transactions. For email accounts, acceptable up a betterment interaction truthful that his girl is notified instantly if idiosyncratic attempts to entree oregon reset the account.

Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) connected email and banking accounts, but brace it with instrumentality and transportation alerts, since galore scams present win adjacent erstwhile 2FA is enabled.

4) Harden devices truthful clicks bash not adjacent catastrophe

Devices should beryllium acceptable up to neglect safely. Keep operating systems and browsers updated. Make definite the laptop uses a modular idiosyncratic relationship alternatively of an head account. This prevents bundle from installing without approval. Install real-time extortion that blocks scam sites earlier they load. Strong antivirus bundle helps artifact malicious links and fake login pages automatically.

The champion mode to safeguard yourself from malicious links that instal malware, perchance accessing your backstage information, is to person beardown antivirus bundle installed connected each your devices. This extortion tin besides alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your idiosyncratic accusation and integer assets safe.

Get my picks for the champion 2026 antivirus extortion winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

5) Use a password manager to artifact fake logins

Password reuse makes scams acold much dangerous. Fake pop-ups and lookalike websites are designed to instrumentality radical into typing usernames and passwords by hand. A password manager removes that hazard by storing credentials securely and autofilling them lone connected morganatic websites. If a leafage is fake oregon malicious, the password manager volition not capable anything. That elemental refusal often prevents relationship takeovers earlier they start. Password managers besides trim vexation by eliminating the request to retrieve oregon reuse passwords crossed email, banking and buying accounts. When acceptable up correctly, this extortion works softly successful the inheritance connected some phones and laptops.

Many phishing scams nary longer trust connected evident fake emails. They trust connected realistic login pages. Autofill extortion is 1 of the astir effectual ways to halt these attacks without changing regular habits.

Next, spot if your email has been exposed successful past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager prime includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email code oregon passwords person appeared successful known leaks. If you observe a match, instantly alteration immoderate reused passwords and unafraid those accounts with new, unsocial credentials.

Check retired the champion expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com.

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6) Freeze recognition and show individuality exposure

If scammers already person idiosyncratic information, prevention unsocial is not enough. Freeze recognition with Experian, TransUnion and Equifax to forestall caller accounts from being opened. Also, spot freezes with ChexSystems and the National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange to halt criminals from opening slope accounts, telephone lines, oregon inferior services successful his name.

If possible, petition an IRS Identity Protection PIN to forestall tax-related individuality theft.

Add ongoing individuality monitoring truthful suspicious enactment triggers alerts quickly. Identity Theft companies tin show idiosyncratic accusation similar your Social Security fig (SSN), telephone fig and email address, and alert you if it is being sold connected the acheronian web oregon being utilized to unfastened an account. They tin besides assistance you successful freezing your slope and recognition paper accounts to forestall further unauthorized usage by criminals.

See my tips and champion picks connected however to support yourself from individuality theft at Cyberguy.com.

7) Set wide rules astir scams and payments

Technology helps, but expectations matter. Have 1 calm speech and hold connected elemental rules:

• No acquisition cards for urgent emails oregon texts
• No sending wealth done unfamiliar apps oregon cryptocurrency
• Always telephone a trusted household subordinate earlier acting connected urgency

Post these rules adjacent the machine oregon phone. Visual reminders trim panic decisions. Also, earlier mounting rules, take 1 superior trusted contact. Multiple helpers tin dilatory effect during urgent scams and make disorder erstwhile accelerated decisions matter. That idiosyncratic should beryllium the default telephone for thing urgent involving money, relationship access, oregon unexpected requests.

Adult children progressively measurement successful to assistance parents spot reddish flags earlier a elemental mistake turns into a fiscal loss. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

8) Reduce vulnerability with a information removal service

Scammers often find seniors by pulling idiosyncratic details from nationalist information broker websites. These sites people telephone numbers, addresses, relatives and property accusation that marque targeting easier. A information removal work works down the scenes to opt seniors retired of these databases and trim however overmuch idiosyncratic accusation is publically disposable online. Fewer exposed details means less scam calls, less phishing emails and less impersonation attempts. This measurement does not halt each scam, but it importantly lowers however often seniors are targeted successful the archetypal place.

Check retired my apical picks for information removal services and get a escaped scan to find retired if your idiosyncratic accusation is already retired connected the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a escaped scan to find retired if your idiosyncratic accusation is already retired connected the web: Cyberguy.com.

9) Use senior-friendly monitoring tools the close way

Many tools designed for kid information besides enactment good for seniors erstwhile utilized thoughtfully. When configured correctly, they adhd extortion without interfering with regular routines.

Below are device-specific steps families tin usage today.

iPhone and iPad

Apple's built-in Screen Time tools supply beardown extortion without installing other apps.

What to acceptable up:

• Open Settings and tap Screen Time
• Turn connected Screen Time for the device
• Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and crook it on
• Under App Store Purchases, acceptable app installs to Don't Allow
• Tap Web Content and bounds entree to approved oregon harmless websites
• Set a Screen Time passcode known lone to the caregiver

If the caregiver wants distant visibility oregon control, adhd the instrumentality to Family Sharing and negociate Screen Time from the caregiver's Apple ID.

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Why this helps: It blocks galore scam sites, prevents accidental app installs and stops fake update prompts from causing damage.

Android phones and tablets

Android offers built-in protections and optional supervised controls.

What to acceptable up:

Settings whitethorn alteration depending connected your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open Settings and spell to Digital Wellbeing & parental controls
• Turn on parental controls for the device
• Restrict app installs and require support for caller downloads
• Enable Safe Browsing and website filtering
• Turn connected alerts for caller app installs and relationship changes

For families who privation shared oversight, Google Family Link tin beryllium utilized to supervise app installs and person alerts, arsenic agelong arsenic some parties agree.

Why this helps: Many Android scams trust connected fake app installs. These settings artifact that path.

Windows computers

Windows extortion works champion erstwhile idiosyncratic accounts are acceptable correctly.

What to acceptable up:

• Create a standard idiosyncratic account for regular use
• Keep the caregiver relationship arsenic the only administrator
• Turn on Microsoft Family Safety if available
• Enable SmartScreen and browser phishing protection
• Block bundle installs without head approval

Why this helps: Malware often installs silently connected admin accounts. This setup prevents that.

Mac computers

macOS includes built-in controls akin to those connected iPhone and iPad.

What to acceptable up:

• Create a standard idiosyncratic relationship for the senior
• Limit head entree to a trusted caregiver
• Open System Settings and enable Screen Time
• Restrict app installs and system changes
• Keep built-in malware and phishing protections enabled

Simple integer guardrails tin trim hazard portion allowing seniors to support their devices and independence. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Why this helps: It prevents fake bundle updates and malicious downloads from installing.

10) Best practices for each devices

• Use alert-only oregon limited-control settings whenever possible
• Review settings unneurotic truthful expectations are clear
• Avoid tools that consciousness invasive oregon confusing
• Focus connected blocking harm, not monitoring behavior

This is not astir spying. It is astir adding integer seatbelts portion preserving independence. When utilized respectfully, these tools trim hazard without changing regular habits.

Pro Tip: Use a unafraid email work for added privacy

For families looking to spell a measurement further, switching to a unafraid email work tin importantly trim scam exposure. Privacy-focused email providers are designed to bounds tracking, artifact hidden tracking pixels, and trim however overmuch information advertisers oregon scammers tin cod from inbox activity. Many unafraid email services besides connection disposable oregon alias email addresses for one-time signups. If an alias starts receiving spam oregon scam messages, it tin beryllium disabled without affecting the main email account. This makes it easier to support a superior email code backstage and bounds semipermanent exposure. Secure email platforms typically see features similar encrypted messages, nary advertizing and stronger privateness controls. While switching email providers is optional, it tin beryllium a utile upgrade for seniors who person ample volumes of spam oregon person been repeatedly targeted by scams.

Why it matters: Less tracking means less scam attempts. Aliases trim however often idiosyncratic email addresses are exposed, without changing regular habits.

For recommendations connected backstage and unafraid email providers that connection alias addresses, visit Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt's cardinal takeaways

Protecting seniors online is not astir control. It is astir prevention. Email scams are designed to exploit spot and urgency, particularly successful radical who did not turn up with integer threats. Smart guardrails support independency portion preventing irreversible mistakes. If email and banking are today's car keys, families request modern information features to spell with them.

If your genitor clicked a scam email close now, would you cognize earlier the wealth was gone? Let america cognize by penning to america at Cyberguy.com.

Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
Get my champion tech tips, urgent information alerts and exclusive deals delivered consecutive to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant entree to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide – escaped erstwhile you articulation my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter.