In the 1990’s the Internet became widely available.
In 1996 Hotmail became the first free email provider for the Internet and just took off!
Mobile phones have been around for over 50 years, but the 90’s saw rapid new developments over how we use them. In 1992 the first text was sent from a mobile phone and by 2002, not only were you able to play games and take photos, you could access the Internet.
Since then technology has rapidly progressed and has become part of our everyday lives. With its accessibility to all, technology has also become more complex, making us more vulnerable to scams.
So why am I telling you this?
Well, for several reasons:
1. The 90’s was 30 years a go meaning that more and more senior citizens carry mobile phones and many of them would have worked with computers and had/have home computers, tablets etc…
2. However, as technology has progressed, not all of them kept up.
Right up to the age of 75, my own mother was Skyping and using her computer to watch BBC catch up. But I know I would have had to sit with her and help her understand what a genuine email looks like nowadays. And further, when not to touch it and either delete it or block the sender to safeguard her from losing her finances.
As it’s the end of Safeguarding week I would like to show how you can help your loved one or service users to spot these scams. ( I have Outlook formerly Hotmail, other providers may be slightly different). There will also be a supporting video with an unabridged version of this article showing some examples of potential scam emails and what to look out for.
✅ Good practice is not to open the email in the first place, just delete it.
✅ Only follow the guide on the video if you think the email COULD be genuine.
✅ Good practice, is to check email addresses as a matter of course or habit.
✅ Don’t follow any links within the email, go to Google or other web browsers and search the business on there.
✅ Still in doubt after checking the email? Look at the main body of the email and check the spelling, the quality of the pictures, the grammar. No big companies would release marketing email with dodgy pictures, grammar or spelling.
There’s lots more advice that can be given and you can always sign post people to the Citizen Advice Bureau. Or see if the library has a Silver Surfer session or you can contact Age UK for further support.
I hope this helps.