Digital Awareness among Senior Citizens

An elderly lady entrusted her ATM and PIN to her teenage grandson without his parents’ knowledge. However, there was a lack of social harmony between the old lady and her daughter-in-law. Suspicious behavior and a lack of trust were evident. The old lady, receiving her deceased husband’s pension and facing mobility challenges, couldn’t visit the bank. She would discreetly give her grandson a small amount, cautioning him not to disclose it to his parents. Unfortunately, the old lady, driven by ill feelings towards her daughter-in-law, manipulated the innocent child against his mother, encouraging the belief that his parents didn’t care for him.

On one occasion, the grandmother asked him to withdraw Rs 3500 from the ATM, but he took out Rs 4500, buying a Bluetooth device for Rs 1000 without her knowledge. The busy parents failed to address the child’s feelings of neglect, leading him to spend hours in isolation. Family dinners often turned into heated arguments. The grandmother, at times, shielded the grandson’s wrongdoings, impacting his future negatively. The teenager even skipped school, spending the day with friends, collecting beer cans and cigarette packets in his room. When questioned, the grandmother lied to the father, exacerbating the family discord. The house lacked a happy environment, and during a parent-teacher meeting, the teacher warned about the child’s cyber-delinquent acts. The parents, working in gazetted positions, ignored the warnings to maintain a façade of a perfect life. Boldly facing the situation could have altered the course of events.

As parents, it is crucial to grant our children freedom, but this shouldn’t translate into a license for waywardness. Our children are our most valuable assets, demanding our investment of time, resources, and energy for their proper grooming. Abandoning them to the harsh circumstances of life without guidance is a significant oversight. Over time, this teenager, left unmonitored, clandestinely withdrew substantial amounts from his grandmother’s ATM, acquiring a costly iPhone without accountability for its procurement. He indulged into the darker side of the web in his secluded room, nurturing a mindset for cyber-delinquent activities. Exploiting his grandmother’s mobile phone and the deceased grandfather’s SIM card, he committed various cybercrimes. Leveraging the respect and trust garnered by his late grandfather in a prominent position, he used contacts to solicit money under false pretenses. Through a fake profile, he shared explicit content, coaxing individuals to deposit money into an account belonging to his grandmother.

This story has two implications for senior citizens. First they have to rightly guide their grand-children and infuse love and affection in them for their parents. They do not have to spoil them by giving excess money without the knowledge of their parents. They do not have to protect them when they are wrong but counsel them with love and empathy.

Cybercrimes against seniors are unfortunately becoming increasingly widespread in today’s digital world. Senior citizens are often targeted due to perceived susceptibilities, such as less acquaintance with technology, cognitive decline, and potentially significant financial assets. Here are some common types of cyber crimes against senior citizens:

Phishing Scams: Seniors may receive fraudulent emails, text messages, or phone calls that appear to be from legitimate sources, such as banks or government agencies, requesting personal information or payment for fake services.

Technology Support Scams: Scammers pose as technical support representatives from dependable companies and trick senior citizens into granting remote access to their mobile devices or paying for unnecessary services to fix non-existent issues.

Identity Theft: Cyber criminals may steal senior citizens personal information, such as Social Security numbers or financial data, to open fraudulent accounts, make unauthorized purchases, or commit other forms of identity theft.

Investment and Financial Scams: Senior citizens may fall victim to investment scams or fake offers promising high returns on investments, leading to financial loss and exploitation.

Online Shopping Scams: Senior citizens may naively purchase counterfeit goods or fall victim to fraudulent online sellers who fail to deliver products after payment.

Malware and Ransomware Attacks: Cyber criminals may infect senior citizens computers or devices with malware or ransomware, hijacking their data and demanding payment for its release.

Social Engineering: Scammers may exploit senior citizens’ trust and willingness to help others by impersonating as family members or friends in misery, requesting money or personal information.

Cyberbullying and Online Harassment: Senior citizens may experience cyberbullying or online harassment, particularly on social media platforms, which can have damaging effects on their psychological well-being.

These cybercrimes can have disturbing consequences for senior citizens, including financial loss, emotional distress, and erosion of trust in online interactions. It is mandatory to raise awareness about these risks and provide education, support, and resources to help seniors protect themselves from cyber threats. Moreover, implementing stronger cybersecurity measures and regulations can help prevent senior abuse and hold offenders accountable for their actions.

Cyber awareness among senior citizens is key in today’s digital age, where technology plays a significant role in our daily lives. Senior citizens often face unique challenges when it comes to cybersecurity due to less acquaintance with technology and potential cognitive decline.

Here are some important key points regarding cyber awareness among senior citizens:

Education and Training: Providing senior citizens with basic education and training on how to use mobile devices and navigate the internet safely is essential. This includes understanding how to create strong passwords, recognizing phishing attempts, and being cautious about sharing personal information online.

Scam Awareness: Senior citizens should be made aware of common online scams targeting older adults, such as fake technology support calls, fraudulent emails, and romance scams. Educating them on how to identify and avoid these scams can help prevent financial loss and identity theft.

Secure Password Practices: Encouraging senior citizens to use strong, unique passwords for their online accounts and to enable two-factor authentication when available can enhance their online security.

Safe Browsing Habits: Teaching senior citizens to verify the authenticity of websites before entering personal information, downloading files, or clicking on links can help protect them from malware and phishing attacks.

Privacy Settings: Guiding senior citizens on how to adjust privacy settings on social media platforms and other online accounts to control the visibility of their personal information can help them maintain their privacy online.

Software Updates and Antivirus Software: Stressing the importance of keeping software and operating systems up to date, as well as installing reliable antivirus software, can enhance the security of their mobile devices.

Secure Online Shopping: Advising senior citizens to only shop from trustworthy websites with secure payment options and to avoid making purchases over unsecured Wi-Fi networks can reduce the risk of falling victim to online shopping scams or identity theft.

Dr Zubair Saleem is a Senior Geriatric Consultant and Gerontologist and Dr Showkat Rashid Wani is a Senior Coordinator, Directorate of Distance Education, University of Kashmir