How do you protect from phishing emails, hoaxes and other scams?

@2me, Scam and phishing emails can look very legitimate. I'm an 80 year old techie and the latest scare for me was the Amazon gift card emails that were actually not a scam but sent out by some kind of a mess up by Amazon. They followed up with an apology email a few days later. My number one rule that I pass on to family and friends is to not respond to any email that tells me to click on a link. The same goes for any pop up message telling me to call a phone number.

One thing that helps me if I suspect an email is to do a little searching on the Internet using some keywords from the email to see if others have seen this particular email. Here are a few sites that might be helpful to share with your husband.
--- How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams
--- How do I identify phishing scams and avoid becoming a victim?: https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/help-topics/fraud-scams/scams/internet-scams/phishing-avoid.html

First off : convince him that these people writing the emails or texts DONOT know him ! As JESUS said .... the Fox will not try to enter the hen house dressed as a Fox 🦊 ! The conmen or scam artist first try at getting people to open the messages they send , is to make you relax and feel that they have your best interest in their hearts ! NOT SO ! Unfortunately no security stops the scammers , the best way is to just delete them as soon as you see them ! There isn’t a day that goes by , where I haven’t won 3or4 prizes for something that I did Not enter ! ONE FINAL note ..... there is no free lunch in this world !

Thankyou so much, John…some great advice here! We are nearing your vintage and do pretty well for the most part, but as you said, some appear so legit…plus I worry going forward with my husband’s memory that I could be sitting across the room while he clicks on something I’m unaware of. I appreciate your sharing the links!

He does know that. I’m just concerned going forward.

@2me. I’m wondering if you are able to get some tech support that would block all junk emails? I don’t even know if this exists, but…. I do know that with my iPhone, I’m able to block all calls that are not in my contacts list. It’s been a blessing.

Thankyou! I tried that for awhile with my phone, but then missed a call from my doctor’s office (they had called from a different line than the one I knew about. But it still might be the best way to go, as I believe people can still leave voicemail. Will check into this!

I applaud you for being proactive and at the same time leaving his dignity intact. I am reminded of my Dad who for years and years would have magazines sent to his and my mother's house because he believed that he would win the Publisher's Clearing House if he did. Of course, my Dad never did win, but each time he received that envelope, even though my mother knew it, she could not prevent him from entering every single time.

I too am worried about my husband being fooled by some scam, as happens to so many older people with declining abilities. One thing I do is check all our important financial accounts each day to make sure no withdrawals or other activities have taken place. That way, hopefully, I can nip any disasters in the bud. I also check my husband's emails regularly and delete all the junk, etc.

Thank you. So said we have to think about this, but I know he would want me to protect us both. I try to get to the regular mailbox first also, though that isn’t as scary.

Some of these fraudulent emails look pretty genuine. They're a long way from the "I'm a Nigerian prince with $65,000,000 to donate" days.

Relying on spam filters is iffy. I have a lot of emails that get through -- while at the same time, emails from one of my most trusted friends keep getting marked as a "phishing scam"! So I can't just automatically delete everything my spam folder.

By the way, do you have credit card information stored on the computer/phone? If so, you might want to remove it, so there won't be any one-click spending.

Best of luck to you. Remain vigilant!