From KnowTechie.com…
Recently, the U.S. Social Security Administration sent out an email to subscribers of its official blog explaining how to access social security statements online. Most people know to be suspicious of seemingly official emails with links to websites asking for credentials.
But for older adults who are wary of the prevalence of scams targeting their demographic, such an email can be particularly alarming since they have been told that the SSA never sends emails.
From our research designing cybersecurity safeguards for older adults, we believe there is legitimate cause for alarm.
This population has been schooled in a tactical approach to online safety grounded in fear and mistrust – even of themselves – and focused on specific threats rather than developing strategies that enable them to be online safely.
Elders have been taught this approach by organizations they tend to trust, including nonprofits that teach older adults how to use technology.
These organizations present a view of older adults as highly vulnerable and encourage them to defend themselves in ways that could put them at risk. As information technology researchers, we believe it doesn’t need to be this way.
