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

Posted by 2me @2me, Oct 15, 2023

Thankfully, things have not happened -yet. I plan to ask my son to help with the security settings on my husband’s phone and iPad. Every day he is bombarded with junk mail and texts. I know there are also phone scams, but fortunately, he usually ignores calls from numbers not in his contacts.
How do people handle this? He was diagnosed with MCI 2 years ago, and we can’t get set up for another evaluation for a few months, as things are so backed up in the system. He is very capable, still handles finances (I do follow up), is an excellent driver etc. BUT he does seem a little confused about some of the scam emails he gets that look so very real (Amazon and others recently). Since he is so capable and we are all so dependent on our devices, asking him to give up his phone and iPad (at this time) is not an option. Suggestions?

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@dwood003

I get so many phishing emails; I have a conditioned reaction. Most of the time I delete them without opening them. If it’s one I’ve never seen, out of curiosity I look at the sender’s email address, usually so ridiculous, DELETE. Never open their files, never call their phone number. If you are concerned it may be legitimate, a bank or business looks up the number from a legitimate source. If you bank online check your accounts regularly. I like the auto pay ones that say we’re having a problem with your credit card, if it’s not corrected immediately, we will have to close your account. Right, I’ll just call you, give you my credit card number and security number, problem solved. Common sense and that gut feeling is all it takes; the paranoia will soon disappear.

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Thank you. I automatically reach for “Delete” also, and verify by calling the number I know is correct, not the one in the email. My concern is for my husband, who always used to be just a cautious. Just trying to be pro-active.

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@2me

Thank you. I automatically reach for “Delete” also, and verify by calling the number I know is correct, not the one in the email. My concern is for my husband, who always used to be just a cautious. Just trying to be pro-active.

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For years at my bank, I paid $12 a month for monitoring and provided me with detailed reports from the 3 credit agencies. In 2018 I was in the hospital for 6 days; when I got home there was a notice that my mail had been transferred as requested,5 Days earlier, mine only not my wife's. Then I got an email notice from 1 of the credit agency's that a credit card, had been issued from a bank I had never used. The post office, the bank that issued the credit card and the credit bureau all go on the defense. I froze my credit and have a code if I need to open it temporarily for a specific purpose. The bank was the worst, while I’m sitting in the bank with their agent, they could not get thru to the office that authorized it, but they were put on notice. The post office manager asked did I knew anyone in Oklahoma, I didn’t but later had suspensions, that’s all they would tell me. They diverted my mail back to me and a few days later I received the card with a $23,000 limit. It was a horrible experience, I had to contact state and federal agency and County Sheriffs headquarters; I still maintain all the information in a big draw as a reminder.

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