TECHNOLOGY

Technology & Innovations

These strategies can thwart online thieves

By Ann Marie Maloney

Whether it’s fake online shopping sites, identity theft or scam artists using phone or email, fraud is on the rise, with a record 1.3 million cases in the first nine months of last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Although anyone can become a victim, FTC data show that consumers age 80 and older are far more likely to be scammed by phone and lose the most money, a median of $1,250.

By now, you probably know not to give out sensitive information to anyone contacting you — and that credit cards offer more protection against fraud than debit cards.

With a credit card, the most you’ll be responsible for is $50. Debit cards, however, could leave you paying for all of a thief’s spending spree if you don’t report it within 60 days.

But there’s a lot more to guarding against fraud than knowing which card to use. In fact, it’s the things you may not know that could cost you the most money. Even savvy consumers can be defrauded

Fraudsters don’t just target the gullible. “I see victims from all walks of life and all professions,” said Alisa Bralove-Scherr, deputy director of mediation in the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.

The biggest mistake people make is to think they’re immune, said Bryan Roslund, assistant state’s attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland. Thieves keep honing their craft, using whatever new scheme they can to take over your bank or retirement account. “This is where they excel,” he said, by finding new ways to take advantage of you.

For example, Roslund said, if you challenge a caller who warns that you have not shown up for jury duty, a scammer knows how to shift tactics immediately — usually by admitting you’re right and that they were working from the “wrong list.”

Some criminals even monitor emails to intercept lucrative transactions. Roslund had a case where a financial agent lost $30,000 when he wired money to a restaurant because someone made a tiny change to the recipient’s email address.

How identity thieves often find you

According to the FTC, you’re more likely to suffer fraud through online purchases, and COVID-19 has only encouraged this equal-opportunity crime to flourish as more Americans turn to websites for shopping. A 2020 Pitney Bowes survey found that 45% of shoppers bought more than half of their goods online, three times the pre-pandemic level.

Scammers capture buyers — especially those looking for deals or hard-to-find products — with convincing emails and websites that appear to be from a known company. In November 2020, for instance, the FTC filed a complaint against the operators of 25 websites claiming to be Lysol or Clorox with high-demand products for sale.

Consumers should scrutinize URLs for subtle misspellings or punctuation at the end, which can be signs of a bogus company website. A site with an “https” address is more secure but not necessarily legitimate. With emails, check for irregularities by hovering your mouse over a sender’s address before opening a message that appears to be from a known source.

A credit freeze is not a credit lock

To prevent identity theft, you may consider a credit freeze or a credit lock, which are not the same. Freezing your credit deters someone from obtaining a loan, phone or credit card in your name. A freeze restricts access to your credit report, which most institutions require before approving a new account. You will need to contact all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Trans-Union and Experian) to get a PIN or password.

“It took me about 15 minutes to do,” said John Buzzard, a financial fraud and security expert with Javelin Strategy & Research during a recent AARP webcast.

You will need to lift the freeze when ap-

See THWART THIEVES, page 5

How to learn new technology skills

Dear Savvy Senior, that sell computers. Your Area Agency on

Can you recommend some good Aging may also be able to help you. Visit technology classes or online the Eldercare Locator at Ellearning resources for inex- dercare.acl.gov or call 1-800perienced seniors? I have a 677-1116 to get your local computer and a smartphone, number.

but my knowledge and skills

are pretty limited. GetSetUp.io —Tech Challenged Senior GetSetUp.io is one of the Dear Tech Challenged, best online learning websites

There are many different that partners with guides to technology teaching tools provide training on tech tools available to older adults that can help you learn new tech skills so you can better utilize SAVVY SENIOR By Jim Miller for adults 50 and older. They provide more than 350 online classes taught in real-time by your devices. Here are some good options retired educators and tech industry exto consider: perts in a way that lets older adults learn by doing, versus just watching a video. Local classes or workshops Their technology classes — all taught

Depending on where you live, there via Zoom — cover things like learning how may be community resources that offer to use smartphones and tablets, how to set beginning computer and personal technol- up and use Zoom, how to utilize Gmail feaogy classes, be it online or in-person, for tures, how to recognize online scams, how older adults that are new to technology. to sell your stuff online and much more.

To find out what’s available in your area, Most of their classes are free; however, contact your local public library, senior some charge a small fee. center, college or university, or local stores SeniorPlanet.org

Created and sponsored by national nonprofit OATS (Older Adults Technology Services) and recently joining forces with AARP, Senior Planet offers 60-and-older adults a wide variety of free online courses, programs and activities.

Instructors teach live classes to help seniors learn new technology skills, as well as save money, get in shape and make new friends. Some of their more popular tech classes include “All Things Zoom,” “Everything Smartphones,” and an “Introduction to Social Media.” They even offer a “lunch & learn” tech discussion group at various times throughout the year where you can ask questions as well as share your struggles and experiences.

And, if you ever have a technology question that pops up during the week, you can call their National Senior Planet Hotline for tech help at (920) 666-1959 anytime Monday through Friday during working hours. for older adults provides more than 10 lowcost/free online computer, internet and mobile technology courses for beginners. And when the pandemic dies down, they will resume offering beginner tech classes in their 27 locations (located in nine states) throughout the country.

CandooTech.com

This company provides fee-based online tech support and training to help older adults feel more comfortable with phones, computers, tablets, home safety devices and more.

Their specially trained tech concierges will teach you how to use your technology, fix what’s not working and install software, as well as learn how to set up and use email, video chat, social media, online shopping and entertainment, ride sharing services and more.

Candoo offers one-hour, one-on-one or small group sessions for $50, or you can become a member and get two 90-minute training sessions plus unlimited quick sup-

plying for loans or credit. Under federal law, if you request a lift online or by phone, a credit bureau must do so free of charge and within one hour.

A credit lock offers similar protections, except that you don’t get a PIN, and you can lift the lock yourself. But the convenience comes at a price: Locks don’t have the backing of federal law that freezes do, leaving you vulnerable if something goes wrong. Plus, one of the bureaus charges for the lock (you need all three for a lock to be effective).

You can also lock credit cards you rarely use so that they can’t be used to make purchases. Card issuers will do this for free, and unlocking is simple and immediate.

Thanks to last year’s stimulus package, the three credit bureaus are offering consumers free weekly credit reports until April 20, 2022.

Safest to pay with a smartphone app

Mitchal Smith, owner of a credit processing company in Raleigh, N.C., recommends using an app such as Google Pay or Apple Pay instead of carrying a card that can be stolen or scanned. To pay, you tap your phone at a payment terminal.

Like PayPal, the apps are safer because you don’t give the merchant your credit card number. Instead, Google or Apple assigns a different virtual account number for every transaction you make. © 2021 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

New tech skills

From page 4 port (30 minutes or less) for $180 per year. They also provide device installation and set-up done remotely for $180.

TechBoomers.com

This is a free educational website that provides video tutorials and articles that teach older adults and other inexperienced technology users how to use the most popular and trusted websites, apps and devices.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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