How to avoid being scammed

Introduction to the episode

In the first 2 episodes of "an old persons take on protecting your stuff podcast," we focused on 2 very important areas of digital hygiene and etiquette.

Passwords - unique, complex and 12 characters long or just get a password manager

 Multi-factor authentication - Username  =  Who you are, Password  = what you know and 2FA = something you own. Adding 2 FA to an account makes them more secure

 So let's talk about all things SCAMMING

One of the best targets of the internet scammer are the elderly and retired.

 There are a number of reasons for this:

The elderly can be gullible

The elderly are scared of new technology and systems

It is easy to scare the elderly because most of their lives that have been law-abiding citizens and the threat of police and fines has an additional impact

The elderly are easy to panic and fluster

 The problem with scammers is that once they have caught you it is very hard to get away from them.

 If they were successful in scamming you they will keep trying.

 In this episode we are going to focus on not getting scammed

 How not to be scammed on the internet

 General warnings and protections

Do you know them or the organisation

Is there a problem or a prize

Do you have to do it RFN

Do they accept money or something else (gift cards, I card money transfer)

They are very clever

Never click on links, open application or click on links in SMS - Always go back to your known point of truth

 Buying and selling on websites (eBay/amazon)

Never be in a hurry

Too good to be true, never

They are not the seller, they are a platform.

Always start small when bidding

Never go outside the platform to complete a transaction

Account takeovers

Trust no one

 No such thing as a clearance account/company

Escrow accounts - no such animal

 Scam watch

Only shop with trusted sites

Check payment security

Job Offers

Lottery

Beneficiary 

Dating

Charity

Repairs

 Invoice scams

Not much of an issue for the elderly but messages about changing bank account details should be avoided

 Payment system scams

Match PayPal and seller's email address. If different stop sale

Avoid purchasing from social media

 Dos and don'ts

Block unwanted calls

Do not give information away

Do not act immediately

Do talk to someone you trust

Use 2FA

Passwords - what did I say

  Discretion on social media