How to Protect Your Parents and Grandparents from Online Scams

Your mom calls you in a panic. She got an email from "Amazon" saying her account was compromised and she needs to call a number immediately to avoid charges. She already called it. The person on the phone asked her to download something on her computer so they could "help." She is not sure what happened next, but now her computer is acting strange.

This scenario plays out thousands of times every day across the country. Americans over 60 lost more than $3.4 billion to fraud in 2023 alone, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. And these are only the reported cases. The actual number is likely much higher because many victims are too embarrassed to tell anyone, including their own families.

Here is how to protect the people you love without making them feel patronized or helpless.

Why Older Adults Are Targeted

Scammers target older adults for specific, calculated reasons:

Accumulated wealth. Older adults are more likely to have savings accounts, retirement funds, and home equity. This makes them higher-value targets than younger people living paycheck to paycheck.

Less familiarity with digital tactics. Many older adults did not grow up with the internet and may not recognize the difference between a legitimate email and a phishing attempt. The visual cues that seem obvious to younger users (suspicious URLs, fake logos, odd sender addresses) are not intuitive to everyone.

Trust and politeness. Generational norms around politeness make it harder for some older adults to hang up on someone or refuse a request, even from a stranger. Scammers exploit this.

Isolation. Older adults who live alone or have limited social interaction are more vulnerable because they have fewer people to consult before acting on a suspicious message.

How to Have the Conversation

The biggest mistake people make is approaching this topic from a position of authority: "Mom, you need to be more careful online." This feels condescending and often causes the person to shut down or become defensive.

Instead, try these approaches:

Share your own experience. "I almost fell for a scam text last week. It looked exactly like it came from my bank. These things are getting really sophisticated." This normalizes the topic and removes the stigma.

Make it about the scammers, not about them. "Scammers are specifically targeting people with phishing emails that look identical to real ones. Even tech-savvy people fall for them. I want to make sure we both know what to watch for."

Offer to be their sounding board. "If you ever get a weird email, text, or phone call and you are not sure about it, just forward it to me or call me before you do anything. I would rather you check with me a hundred times than have one of these scammers get through."

Five Practical Steps to Protect Them

1. Set Up Call Screening

Most phone scams start with an unsolicited call. Both iPhone and Android have built-in call screening features that filter suspected spam calls. Enable these on their phone. On iPhone, turn on "Silence Unknown Callers" in Settings. On Android, enable "Caller ID & Spam" in the Phone app settings.

If they are receiving a lot of scam calls, consider registering their number on the National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov).

2. Install an Ad Blocker on Their Browser

Many scam encounters start with malicious pop-up ads or fake virus warnings on websites. A simple ad blocker (like uBlock Origin) eliminates most of these. Install it on their browser and explain that if they ever see a scary pop-up warning, they should just close the browser.

3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication on Important Accounts

If a scammer does get their password, two-factor authentication (2FA) provides a second layer of defense. Set up 2FA on their email, bank, and social media accounts. Use SMS-based 2FA since it is the easiest for non-technical users, even though app-based 2FA is technically more secure.

4. Create a Family Code Word

For phone scams that impersonate family members ("Grandma, I'm in trouble and I need money"), establish a code word that only your family knows. If someone calls claiming to be a family member in distress, ask for the code word. If they do not know it, it is a scam. This is especially important now that AI can clone voices from just a few seconds of audio.

5. Bookmark ScamShield for Quick Checks

Show them how to use ScamShield. Bookmark it on their browser. Walk them through the process: copy the suspicious text, paste it into the scanner, and read the result. Make it as simple as possible. "If something feels off, just paste it here before you do anything."

Many older adults are perfectly capable of using simple web tools. The barrier is usually not ability but awareness that the tool exists.

What to Do If They Have Already Been Scammed

If someone you love has already fallen victim to a scam, handle it with care:

Do not blame them. "How could you fall for that?" is the worst thing you can say. They already feel terrible. What they need is support and practical help.

Act quickly on financial exposure. Contact their bank immediately to freeze accounts or reverse transactions. Change passwords on compromised accounts. If they gave remote access to their computer, disconnect it from the internet and have it professionally cleaned.

Report it. File a report with the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov), the FBI's IC3 (ic3.gov), and the relevant platform. Reporting helps law enforcement track scam networks and protects other potential victims.

Watch for follow-up scams. Scam victims are often targeted again by "recovery scams" where someone claims they can get the lost money back for a fee. This is always a scam.

You Can Make a Difference

You cannot prevent every scam attempt. But you can create an environment where your family members feel comfortable asking questions, checking suspicious messages, and calling you before acting on something that does not feel right. That single change — making it safe to ask — prevents more fraud than any technology.

Share ScamShield with your family. It takes 10 seconds to scan a suspicious message and it could save someone you love from a devastating loss.

[Try ScamShield free — protect the people who matter most →](https://myscamshield.app)