How to educate your senior customers on recognising signs of scams

Unfortunately, scammers often target seniors with deceptive schemes designed to exploit their unfamiliarity with technology. Naturally, you want to reassure your consumers that they can be guaranteed a safe experience while shopping with you. Educating seniors about scams and malicious online activity helps prevent them being caught off guard, and also positions you as a caring and responsible brand.

To help you get started, this guide explains how to recognise and avoid some of the most common scams, so your customers can stay safe and informed..

Scammers often make phone calls and send text messages, but they may also pop up on your customers’ computer screens when they’re browsing the web. Claiming to be tech support from well-known companies (like Microsoft or Apple), they may tell customers that there’s a serious issue with their internet connection, computer, or device, and offer to “fix” it for a fee or through remote access. Sometimes, the scammer may have imitated your branding to make it appear as though the message is from your company.

To combat this, reassure your customers that you will never initiate any unsolicited contact with them – legitimate companies don’t call or send random pop-ups about technical issues that haven’t been reported. You should also encourage your customers to email or phone in with any reports of unusual activity on your website, especially if it includes high-pressure or scare tactics.

As scammers try to ask for credit card information or urge people to download software to “fix” the problem, ensure you have robust security measures in place across your website to protect your customers when they are making transactions. Encryption software and secure pay windows should be compliant with GDPR regulations, and offer a safe experience.

Seniors are considered a vulnerable group, and as such they may be more likely to receive a call, email, or letter stating they’ve won a lottery or sweepstakes. Older people may wonder if they forgot they had entered, or simply trust the communication with the hopes it will be true. Such correspondence may ask them to pay an upfront fee to “release” their winnings, and may well steal their bank information in the process.

The ageing population are new to digital banking, so they may not be aware of how to make online payments safely. Requiring robust security measures on your website and prompting them to enable multi-factor authentication can help to protect them from scams where they are asked to enter financial information.

Ultimately, winning something without buying a ticket or entering a contest is a red flag. A key way to spot scam messages of this nature is to look out for misspelled words, poor grammar, and unclear details. To retain your integrity as a trustworthy business, be sure to proofread and check all of your website copy, emails, and letters for spelling and grammar. You could also warn customers about these “too good to be true” scams when communicating with them about your legitimate competitions or promotions.

If you know that a large percentage of your customers are seniors, it can be helpful to offer resources and prompts to both educate and protect them while shopping online. Blogs, FAQs, and prompts requiring them to check the security of their connections – for example, reminding them not to enter their card details on a public computer at checkout – can go a long way to preventing more cybercrime victims.

Scammers often mask their number to appear local or official, so be sure to offer your customers a safe, protected way to contact you – and don’t ask them to share personal details over the phone. You can encourage your customers to be sceptical of unsolicited requests, whether by phone, email, or mail, and instead contact them in a professional manner in accordance with their preferences.

Staying alert and informed is our greatest defence against scams. By sharing educational resources with your senior customers on how to avoid scams, you can help to keep everyone protected.

Author bio: Claire Hope

Claire is a tech enthusiast, but she also cares for her two elderly grandparents, so she understands the importance of bridging the gap in the digital divide. She shares her tips to both individuals and professionals, to help make the internet a safer place for everyone – regardless of their age.

Cover photo by Beth Macdonald