How to protect elderly parents from scams

You can't sit beside Mom or Dad every time an email arrives. You can set up simple habits and tools that catch most scams before they cost anything.

Start with one honest conversation

Approach it as teamwork, not a lecture. Smart, careful people get fooled every day because scammers are professionals. Agree that checking with each other before sending money is normal, never embarrassing.

Ten practical steps

1. Agree on a rule: no money, gift cards, or passwords to anyone who contacted them first, without a call to you.
2. Set a family safe word for emergency calls (see our grandparent scam guide).
3. Add an email safety layer. The free ShieldsON ribbon rates every email in plain English.
4. Become their Trusted Advisor in ShieldsON so they can forward anything suspicious to you in one tap.
5. Turn on bank alerts for large withdrawals and new payees. Ask the bank about a trusted contact on the account.
6. Freeze their credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It's free.
7. Silence unknown callers on their phone and register at donotcall.gov.
8. Remove remote-access apps they didn't knowingly install.
9. Review recurring charges together once a month.
10. Share real stories. Talking about real scams is one of the best ways to recognize the next one.

Signs a parent may already be targeted

• New secretive "friend" online or frequent calls they won't discuss.
• Gift card purchases, wire transfers or crypto ATM visits.
• Sudden worry about taxes, Medicare, or a "locked" computer.
• Unusual withdrawals or new accounts on their credit report.

Give them a year of protection

A ShieldsON gift membership includes Ask Fred, our scam-trained AI advisor, and makes you their primary Trusted Advisor. Or get our 2026 book + Basic membership bundle for $59: Don't be Fooled: Get Your Shields On! shares 33 scam stories that make great conversation starters.