Older people become targets of scammers not because of gullibility, as is usually written. The reason lies in a different combination of circumstances, that is, in the fact that they more often resolve financial issues by phone, less often check information online, and simply do not know about schemes that have appeared recently. This difference has practical significance, since it determines how to build the conversation. A person who is hinted at their naivety closes themselves off and then hides problems, while a person who has been explained the mechanics of the deception becomes more attentive.

The Main Difficulty Is Not Technical

The biggest obstacle in this topic is that adult children often talk to their parents as if they are unable to figure things out. The consequence of this is predictable. A person who is afraid of hearing disapproval will not tell anyone about a suspicious call, and if money has already been lost, they will remain silent even more, and this is exactly what scammers build further pressure on. Therefore, before any settings, it is worth agreeing on one simple thing. Say directly that when something happens, you will not scold them or take away their phone, but will simply help figure it out. Repeat this periodically, and most importantly, keep your promise when the situation really occurs. The second part of the agreement concerns money. Agree that any conversation about transfers, cards, or pensions is a reason to hang up and call you before doing anything. This removes from the person the need to assess the situation themselves under pressure, and pressure is the scammer's main tool.

The Rule That Closes Most Schemes

Hang up and call back yourself using the number from a document, payment bill, or the back of a bank card. This works against all schemes involving calls immediately, since a scammer cannot control your outgoing call. No legitimate institution will be offended by a verification, while the person who is offended by it and starts applying pressure is a scammer. Here it is useful to know a sign that law enforcement officers themselves point out. Real representatives of a bank or police never push a person toward immediate actions over the phone, while scammers do this from the first minute of the conversation.

Schemes Relevant for Ukraine

The most common recently is messages in messengers about supposedly new pension supplements with specific amounts, to receive which you need to follow a link and enter your data. There are no additional payments through a link in a messenger, since pension payments are regulated by laws, and changes to them are adopted by parliament and the government, not by Telegram channel administrators. The second is calls from supposed employees of the Pension Fund demanding that a person urgently confirm their age or personal data, otherwise the payments will be stopped. The purpose of such calls is to collect personal data or install a malicious program on the phone. The third is classic calls from a bank's supposed security service with a message about a hacked account or suspicious transactions, after which the person is asked to provide a code from a message or transfer money to a supposedly safe account. The fourth remains the family trouble scheme, when a person calls, introduces themselves as a relative or police officer, and reports an accident or detention, for resolving which money is needed immediately. What all these schemes have in common is one thing, namely a combination of urgency, authority, and a request not to tell anyone.

What to Set Up in One Evening

Turn on caller identification and anti-spam, which are available in the applications of most banks and operators, since they automatically mark some scam calls. Install the official applications of the bank and the Pension Fund on the phone, so that the person has a place from which to check information independently. Set limits on online transactions and cash withdrawals in the banking application, and make them small, since if necessary the limit can be increased in a minute, while losing a larger amount becomes impossible. Turn on notifications for all card transactions. Get a separate card for daily expenses with a small balance, leaving the main funds on a deposit or in another account. Turn on two-factor authentication for email if the person uses it, since email provides access to recovering other accounts. Save the official numbers of the bank, Pension Fund, and police in the phone's contacts under clear names, so that you do not have to search for them under stress. Check privacy settings in messengers, limiting the ability to add the person to unfamiliar groups and allowing strangers to write to them.

A Reminder Worth Printing

Never tell anyone the code from a message. Neither the bank, nor the police, nor the support service. This code is intended only for you. Never tell anyone the PIN code and the three digits on the back of the card. To send you money, the card number is enough; everything else is needed only for withdrawal. If someone calls and says there is a problem with money, hang up and call back yourself using the number on the card. If they rush you, they are scammers. Real institutions give you time to think. If they ask you not to tell anyone, they are scammers. Always. Do not follow links from messages about pensions, supplements, or compensation. Do not install applications at the request of a person on the phone, even if they introduced themselves as a bank. Before any transfer, call your children or grandchildren. This is normal and will not offend anyone. The numbers for reference that are worth writing down by hand are the number of your bank, the number of your son or daughter, and 102 for the police.

If the Money Has Already Been Lost

Immediately call the bank using the number on the card and block it, since with a quick response it is sometimes possible to stop the transfer. Call 102 if the fraud is happening right now.

Submit a report to the Cyber Police through the official website, and before doing so, save all evidence, that is, screenshots of messages, phone numbers, account details, time, and amount. Do not waste time looking for intermediaries who promise to return the money for a fee, since this is a second wave of fraud against a person who has just suffered. And tell your parents that they are not to blame. These schemes are developed professionally, people of any age and any level of education fall for them, and shame is the main reason why such cases are not reported and why scammers work for years using the same scenarios.

About Respect

Do not make settings secretly and do not take away a person's ability to use their own money, since this humiliates them and ends with them opening a separate card that you will not know about. Explain rather than prohibit. A person who understands the mechanics of deception will recognize a new scheme that you did not anticipate, while a person who simply follows prohibitions is helpless against everything that is not on the list.


Sources: Cyber Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine, 1+1 materials, Hromadske Radio, Ukrainian Wall