Money Matters Blog

Online safety is a much bigger problem than most people realize. It’s estimated that seniors lose a total of about $30 billion every year because of online scams. We want to prevent that from happening, and we bet you do, too. We’ve put together some of the easiest ways for seniors to be safe online. 

Be careful when making online purchases. Hackers and scammers can make websites look pretty convincing and trustworthy on the outside. Here are some steps to take before entering your personal information. 

• Search for online reviews if buying a product from a website you have never used or heard of.
• Make sure the website is secure (URL begins with https://).
• If possible, only shop on websites you or others you know personally have used in the past. 
• Do not save your credit card information in any website for future purchases. The convenience is not worth the risk of someone having access to your account if your password is stolen!

Keep tabs on all of your accounts. Be sure not to let your accounts, on social media or elsewhere, go unvisited for too long. Regularly login and review the recent activity to make sure nothing looks suspicious. Use strong and secure passwords, as well as different passwords for each account. Consider giving a trusted family member or friend access to your accounts in case of emergency. 

Think about what you’re posting. Just because your social media account has privacy settings in place does not mean everything you post in there is safe from the world’s eyes. There are still ways for hackers to access your account or for others to copy and share your posts. 

• Don’t post pictures or information you wouldn’t want the public to know about. 
• Be careful about posting personal information – names of your kids or grandkids, for example – that hackers could use to try to break into your accounts.
• If you need to share important but private information with someone, consider doing so in person or over a phone call if possible. 

Don’t trust all emails and messages. Although many email providers have an automatic spam filter, some malicious emails may still make it to your inbox. When it comes to social media, messages from strangers can be dangerous. 

• Ignore the “You’re a winner!” or “Free prize!” messages. You can’t win a lottery you haven’t entered, and if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• If a friend or family member requests money, verify it with them in person or with a phone call before sending in case their account was hacked. 
• Don’t open direct messages from strangers in social media unless you can verify who the person is and why they’d be reaching out to you. 

Be careful what you choose to download. Hackers will often create free downloadable documents that are actually viruses. Here are some steps to make sure your device doesn’t get hacked: 

• Know and trust your source before downloading anything. Even if the message appears to be from someone you know, don’t open it if you weren’t expecting it from them. It’s possible their account was hacked, and the fraudster is sending malicious emails to their contact list.
• Have a protective security software installed on your device, and regularly install the updates.

Technology is a wonderful thing, but it definitely comes with dangers. Be sure to follow these practical online safety tips and continue protecting your personal information!