Most families know they should do something about their parent’s online security. They just never quite get around to it. Not because they don’t care. Because “getting around to it” means figuring out where to start, what actually matters, and how to do it without spending an entire weekend on technology — or starting an … Read more
Robert called his daughter on a Tuesday morning, confused. He’d been trying to check his bank account at the library — his home internet was down for the day. When he got home, he found three text alerts from his bank: someone had attempted to access his account from an IP address in Eastern Europe, … Read more
Shirley’s daughter gave her an iPhone for her birthday two years ago. Shirley loved it immediately. FaceTime with the grandkids. Photos. The weather app. She figured out most of it on her own, which made her quietly proud. What her daughter never did — because she didn’t think of it at the time — was … Read more
Donna’s email password was strong. Twelve characters, mixed with numbers and symbols. She’d been proud of it. It didn’t matter. A data breach at an online retailer she’d used once exposed her email address and password to a criminal marketplace. The criminals logged into her email within hours — and from there, reset her bank … Read more
Linda had tried three times. The first time, her mother changed the subject. The second time, she got defensive: “I’m not an idiot, Linda.” The third time ended with both of them upset and nothing changed. Linda’s mother was 76, sharp as a tack, and completely convinced that scams happened to other people — not … Read more
Margaret had a system. She’d been using it for years. Her email password was her dog’s name and birth year: Biscuit1952. Her bank used the same thing, just with an exclamation point: Biscuit1952! Her Medicare portal got a slight variation: Biscuit1952#. She thought this was clever. Secure, even. She’d never written the passwords down anywhere. … Read more
