When it comes to protecting your loved ones, you want to make sure they’re as safe as possible. While this is especially true in our digital world, where there are countless ways for cybercriminals to steal information and money from innocent people, there are also a lot of things that everyone can do to protect themselves against scams. Here are some online safety tips on how to keep your family safe:
Beware Of Third-Party Payment Apps
Be wary of third-party payment apps, which are not affiliated with the merchant and can be used to steal your money or identity. Third-party payment apps might look like they’re from a trusted source, but you should read the fine print before entering any personal information into one.
How do you know if an app is a third-party payment app? It could be hard to notice at first glance because scam artists often make their phony apps look exactly like the legitimate ones we use daily.
Make sure you don’t click “Send Money” unless it asks for your personal information (like banking info) and doesn’t redirect you somewhere else before sending your money.
Don’t Click On Links From Unknown Senders
If you receive an email with a link that appears to be from someone you know, but it’s not, don’t click on it. It could contain malicious code or viruses that can compromise your security and steal personal information.
If you receive an email with a suspicious attachment, don’t open it! If the sender is truly important or legitimate, they will understand why you cannot open their attachment, and they won’t mind sending another one as long as they have time to do so quickly. Opening an attachment when there’s no reason for doing so can expose malware onto your computer or mobile device, which may steal personal information such as passwords and banking details!
Don’t download apps from unknown sources (such as websites). Often, these sites can be set up by hackers to infect people’s devices with malware that steals their personal information, like login credentials for social media accounts, etc.
Consider Using A Private Browser
Private browsing is a way of using the internet without your search history being stored by your browser. This is important because if you have private browsing turned on, then anyone who hacks into your computer will not be able to see what websites you have visited recently. Your computer will look like it was never used before!
Private browsing does not mean that everything on the internet is completely anonymous—the sites themselves will still know where you went and what pages were viewed. Private browsing only covers the information stored locally by each website (i.e., in their databases).
So what can private browsing do for you? It helps keep unwanted people from seeing things they shouldn’t see.
Be Wary Of Free Offers Or Contests Online
It’s important to be aware that free offers are often scams. Spoofing is a common scam technique that involves pretending to be someone else. For example, if you receive an email from your bank asking for personal information, it might not be from the bank. Instead, someone could have spoofed their email address and sent out the message to trick people into sending money or downloading malware onto their computers—which can lead them into a chat room with scammers looking for potential victims.
Senior Friendly Independent Living Community Can Help Protect You From Scams
Understanding the risks of online crime and how to protect yourself from it is important. Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to staying safe. One way senior-friendly independent living communities help is by offering various services that assist with staying safe online. For example, some senior-friendly independent living communities offer classes on how to spot scams and other tips for protecting yourself while using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. These classes also provide tips for avoiding malware infections when using email programs like Gmail and Yahoo Mail because these infections often come through clicking links within emails (such as those containing phishing scams).
Additionally, these communities have team members who have undergone training to recognize scams and other potential dangers that might arise for seniors. By being part of a senior-friendly independent living community like Discovery Village Alliance Town Center, you can rest assured that your loved one will be safe from scams while also enjoying all of the benefits of living in this environment.
