Guide 02
Most online attacks aren't clever code — they're clever wording. When you know the playbook, the tricks lose their power. Here are the five scams that target seniors most often, and the calm, simple way to handle each one.
Read these once and they'll be easy to spot for a lifetime.
An email looks like it's from your bank, Amazon, or Medicare. It asks you to "verify" something urgently by clicking a link.
How to spot it
Urgent tone, generic greeting ("Dear Customer"), a sender address that's slightly off.
What to do
Don't click. Open a new tab, type the company's website yourself, and check your account there.
Someone calls claiming to be from "Microsoft" or "Apple" warning your computer has a virus and they need remote access to fix it.
How to spot it
Unsolicited call, scary warning, asks you to install software or read a code from your screen.
What to do
Hang up. Real companies do not call you about viruses. Never install software for a caller.
Someone new and very attentive meets you online. The relationship moves quickly, and eventually they ask for money — for an emergency, a trip, or a "lock-up" investment.
How to spot it
Refuses to video call, lives or "works" overseas, eventually asks for money — even a small amount.
What to do
Never send money to someone you haven't met in person. Tell a trusted friend or family member.
You get a call: "Grandma? It's me — I'm in trouble and I need money fast, please don't tell Mom and Dad." The voice may even sound right thanks to AI imitation.
How to spot it
Panicked tone, urgent secrecy, asks for gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.
What to do
Hang up and call your grandchild directly at their real number. Agree on a family code word in advance.
A text or email says you owe money for a service you don't remember, or that a package can't be delivered without a small "fee."
How to spot it
Unfamiliar charge, link to a non-official site, request for a small payment to "release" something.
What to do
Delete the message. Track packages only from the carrier's own website (USPS, UPS, FedEx).
Two columns — the habits worth keeping, and the habits worth dropping.
Do
Don't
When your gut says "this is off" — it usually is. Follow these four steps.
Pause. Scams work because they pressure you to act fast. You're allowed to take five minutes.
Don't click links, install anything, or send money — including gift cards or cryptocurrency.
Use the number on your bank card, your bill, or the company's official website — never a number in the suspicious message.
Tell a family member, and report the scam at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Reports help protect other people too.