How to Help Your Elderly Parents Stay Safe Online

Australians over 65 lose more money to scams per incident than any other age group. This isn't because older people are less intelligent — it's because they're targeted with more sophisticated, personalised attacks, and may be less familiar with the tells that younger users recognise instinctively.

The Most Common Attacks Targeting Older Australians

Tech support scams are the most prevalent. A pop-up appears claiming a virus has been detected, with a phone number. The "technician" gains remote access and demands payment. We see this regularly in Melbourne.

Bank impersonation — a call from someone claiming to be from ANZ, CBA or Westpac fraud team, saying suspicious activity has been detected. Asks the victim to transfer money to a "safe account."

Government impersonation — calls claiming to be from the ATO, Centrelink or immigration, threatening arrest or fines unless immediate payment is made.

Romance scams — long-term online relationships that eventually lead to requests for money. These are emotionally sophisticated and highly effective.

The Three Rules to Teach

1. Hang up on anyone you didn't call. If you didn't initiate the call, hang up. Call the organisation back on a number from their official website or your billing statement, not a number the caller gives you.

2. Never allow remote access to your computer to someone who called you. Legitimate organisations don't call you and ask to access your computer.

3. Closing the browser always removes a virus warning. Pop-up virus warnings are fake. Pressing the power button for 5 seconds removes them permanently.

Technical Steps You Can Take

Set up Google Safe Browsing or similar. Consider a DNS filter like Cloudflare for Families (1.1.1.3) which blocks malicious domains at the network level. Set up automatic updates. Create a standard (non-administrator) account for daily use — malware can't install itself without admin rights.

Community Resources

The Australian Government's Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) publishes current scam warnings. The eSafety Commissioner (esafety.gov.au) has resources specifically for older Australians. The Little Black Book of Scams (from the ACCC) is worth printing and sharing.