Orange County officials release Senior Citizen Cybersecurity Guide
‘Tis the season: $2.9 billion is lost each year to scams targeting the elderly with 67-percent of seniors reporting they have been scammed online.
To offset the onslaught of online scams especially during the busy holiday season, Orange County officials have released a Senior Citizen Cybersecurity Guide that “reviews facts about cybercrime and its impact on senior citizens. It also calls attention to common schemes that criminals use to victimize vulnerable seniors. Importantly, the guide discusses the steps that individuals can take to help prevent against these types of crimes.” The county’s Digital Forensics Unit worked with area senior citizens to provide insight for the guide.
The guide details the most common impersonation scams, romance scams (entitled “Is Your Cyber Sweetheart Swindling You?”), sweepstakes scams, grandparent scams, tech support essentials, and more importantly: how residents can protect themselves against these scams.
Think before you click
Use strong passwords
Enable two-factor authentication
Never send money to strangers
Keep your software updated
Talk to someone you trust
If you believe you have been scammed, officials recommend acting quickly, contacting your bank or credit card company immediately, and report the scam to authorities, either via www.ftc.gov.complaint or by calling 1-877-382-4357, or call the local police department.
“Increasingly, we see cybercrime proliferating at the expense of the vulnerable members of our community,” said District Attorney Hoovler, “While the tactics and techniques of the criminals are new, the results are unfortunately similar to familiar scams. My Office, including our Digital Forensics Unit and our Community Affairs Unit, will continue to engage with citizens of Orange County to equip them with the knowledge and information necessary to protect themselves against 21st century crime.”
See the Orange County Cybersecurity Guide at: https://www.orangecountygov.com/DocumentCenter/View/32207/Senior-Citizen-Cybersecurity-Guide-PDF
