In this era of cybercrimes, elderly people are prone to fall for online scams and identity theft. The number of cases are scary for those parents who don’t live with their children due to various reasons. It is obvious that they are easy targets for scammers as they can’t approach you if they are confused about something. This is one of the biggest reasons that elderly people lose their privacy and other confidential information to someone unknown. It is important that they stay away from any such scams which can endanger their privacy. This Mother’s Day, instead of buying an expensive gift, why not ensure your mother’s online security or may be an antivirus software to help her get protected against any trap.
Today, we’re going to suggest to you the 5 best ways you can ensure your parents’ online security when you’re not around.
1. Get an Identity Protection: One of the biggest fear online is to lose your identity to someone else. If you look at the statistics, elderly people are more at risk to compromise their confidential information due to their lack of knowledge. It is important that you have a dedicated tool installed on their machine. You can get Advance Identity Protector, which is specifically designed to safeguard your SSN, credentials and bank details.
2. Educate your Parents: Knowledge is the key to safety. It is important that you guide your parents every time you visit them. Do let them know about a safe page and phishing page. Educate them about not making payment to any page which is not showing secured on its address bar. The little tips should help them avoid any big scam. Every piece of information is as important when you’re not around. Yes! It may require a little patience as it may take them time to grasp, yet it is important to take out the time to make them aware.
3. Antivirus: It is not about losing identity every time. Malware, Virus and adware are also a type of threat that you wouldn’t want your parents to suffer with. You must get an authentic Antivirus installed on your computer. Make sure you don’t set the protection to a level that would restrict your parents to use their own computer. Keep it to a moderate level.
4. Two-Way Authentication: Two-way authentication or 2FA is one of the best security tools that promises a better security. You must turn on 2FA to all their connected account like email, banking, credit card etc. This way you can put another layer of protection before anything unwanted happens. Whenever your parents would make any payment, they would need to put the one-time password sent to their registered mobile.
5. Keep an Eye on Social Media: It’s not about spying, but elderly aged people love to make friends and you must keep an eye on it. It is important that you take a closer look regularly on your parent’s friends’ list to sense any possible incident. Also, let them know to not entertain any request from unknown person or source.
Also Read : Keep your kids safe from online world
Overall, internet may be the best way to chat with your parents, but it may also become frightful at times. Antivirus software would help you from virus and malware attack, but the fundamental security from online threats must be taken more seriously. You can follow the above tips to ensure their safety from identity theft of your parents’ this Mother’s Day. If you know some more tips and tricks to help parents’ when no one is around, do let us know in the comments below.