How to protect elderly parents from online scams

How do I protect my elderly parents from online scams without taking over their computer?

Use three layers. First, set up the laptop so that it blocks what it can without your parent having to learn anything. Second, agree on three rules that cover the scams that cost older people the most. Third, write down what to do if a scam gets through, so nobody has to think in a panic.

None of this needs you to read their email or control their bank account. Your parent keeps using the computer as before. The setup works in the background, and the rules are short enough to remember in a stressful moment.

The rest of this guide goes through each layer. If you want the setup in detail, step by step, read how to set up your parent's laptop for safe browsing.

The scams older people meet most

Older people report the same few scams again and again. Knowing which ones matters, because each starts in a different place: an email, a pop-up in the browser, a message, or a call. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) counted these for people aged 60 and over in 2025:^[1]

Phishing is the scam older people meet most often. Tech support and investment scams are where the big money goes. The average reported loss for someone over 60 was $38,500, and 12,444 people lost more than $100,000.^[1]

The US Federal Trade Commission sees the same pattern. Reported losses of people 60 and over grew from about $600 million in 2020 to about $3 billion in 2025. Older adults are more likely than younger ones to report losing money to tech support scams, prize and lottery scams, romance scams, and scams where someone pretends to be from the government or the family.^[2]

How one pop-up becomes a life-savings loss

The FBI describes a scam it calls the "Phantom Hacker". It shows why the browser matters so much:^[3]

1. A fake tech support warning. A pop-up or a call says the computer is infected and gives a phone number. The "technician" asks your parent to install a program that lets them control the computer.
2. A fake bank employee. A second caller says a hacker is in the bank account and the money must move to a "safe" account. Your parent is told to tell nobody.
3. A fake government official. A third person, sometimes with official-looking letters, keeps the pressure up until the money is gone.

It all starts with step one, on a screen. Our guide on fake virus pop-ups shows what these warnings look like, and remote access scams explains why scammers want that program installed. The full set of numbers is in online scams and older adults: the numbers.

Set up the laptop once

Do this on your next visit. It takes an afternoon, and afterwards most of it runs on its own. The goal is fewer scam pages reaching your parent at all, and less damage when one does.

• Turn on the browser's strongest built-in protection.
• Turn on automatic updates for the system and the browser.
• Add a scam blocker that warns before a scam page opens.
• Turn on two-factor login for email and online banking.
• Remove remote access programs nobody uses, and note which ones belong.
• Pin the real bank and shop websites as bookmarks.

Turn on the browser's protection

Every major browser has protection built in. It is worth checking that it is on and set to the strongest level.

• Chrome: open the menu (three dots), then Settings, Privacy and security, Security, and choose Enhanced protection. The default, Standard protection, warns about sites already known to be dangerous. Enhanced protection also checks for new dangers, and in return sends Chrome more data about the pages your parent visits, including a small sample of page content.^[8]
• Edge: open Settings, then Privacy, search, and services, then Security, and make sure Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is on. It checks pages and downloads against lists of reported phishing and malware sites.^[9]

These lists are good, and they are free. Their weak spot is time: a scam site has to be reported before it is on a list.

Add a scam blocker

A scam blocker is a browser extension, a small add-on that checks the sites your parent opens. Free options exist. Malwarebytes Browser Guard is free for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari and blocks malicious websites and phishing attempts.^[10] For some families that is enough.

OkayTab is a paid extension built for this situation. It checks every new site your parent opens in Chrome, Edge or Firefox. When a site looks like a scam, it puts a full-page warning in front of it with one big "Go back" button. When it can't tell, it says "not sure" in amber and lets your parent decide. Most of the time your parent sees nothing at all. No tool catches every scam, OkayTab included, so the rules below still matter. There is more on the choice in browser extensions that make the web safer for older users and in the best scam protection for seniors.

Lock the accounts that matter

Turn on two-factor login (a code by text or app on top of the password) for your parent's email and online banking. The FTC recommends it as one of the first steps after a scammer had access to a computer, so it makes sense to have it in place before.^[12] Start with email, because password resets for most other accounts go there.

Then look at what is installed. If you find a remote access program (AnyDesk, TeamViewer or similar) and nobody in the family put it there, ask about it. A scammer may have left it.

Three rules to agree on

Rules don't stop a scam page from opening. They stop the step after it: the call, the payment, the secret. Keep them short enough to say out loud, and write them on a card next to the laptop.

1. Never call a number from a pop-up

Real security warnings never ask you to call a phone number. The FTC says so plainly.^[4] If a warning on the screen shows a number, it is a scam, however official it looks. Close the browser. If it won't close, turn the computer off.

2. Never pay someone who contacted you first in gift cards, transfers or crypto

"Only scammers will tell you to buy a gift card," says the FTC.^[5] The same goes for a stranger who asks for a bank transfer to a "safe account", cryptocurrency, or cash handed to a courier. The FTC's four signs of a scam fit almost every case: someone pretends to be from an organisation you know, says there is a problem or a prize, pressures you to act now, and tells you how to pay.^[6]

3. Hang up, then call family on a number you know

Scammers depend on pressure and secrecy. The rule breaks both: before any payment or install that someone asked for, your parent hangs up and calls you, or calls the bank on the number on their card. The FBI also suggests agreeing on a secret word or phrase with family, so a caller who claims to be a grandchild in trouble can be checked.^[7] This matters more now that voices can be faked with AI.^[7] The “Hi Mum” scam is the text-message version of the same trick.

Protect the money, not just the computer

Most of the damage happens at the bank, so add a layer there too. Your parent keeps control of their money. You add ways for problems to surface early.

• Alerts: ask the bank which payment alerts it offers, and turn on a text or app message for transfers and card payments.
• A trusted contact: many investment firms let your parent name a trusted contact person. The firm can call that person if it suspects exploitation. A trusted contact can't trade or make decisions in the account and doesn't become a power of attorney.^[11]
• Limits: ask the bank whether lower limits for transfers or card payments are possible, and how to raise them for a planned large payment.

None of this means taking over the account. Should you take over online banking entirely? Usually no. It takes away your parent's independence, and a scammer on the phone can still talk them into paying some other way.

Watch for the signs

Scams that run for weeks leave traces. The FBI's Phantom Hacker victims were told to tell nobody, and the money left their accounts over days or months.^[3] Signs to notice:

• New programs on the laptop that nobody can explain, especially remote access tools.
• Your parent is suddenly secretive about phone calls or a new online "friend".
• Talk of an investment that pays very well, or a fee to release winnings.
• Gift cards, cryptocurrency machines or a courier picking up cash.
• Urgent transfers, or worry about a "hacked" bank account.

If you notice one, ask calmly and without blame. A longer list, with what to say, is in signs your parent is being scammed online.

When it already happened: the first hour

Speed matters most. In 2025 the IC3's Recovery Asset Team took on 642 cases with victims over 60 who reported $65.4 million lost, and froze $32.9 million of it.^[1] That only works when the bank hears about it fast. Keep this list on paper next to the laptop:

• If someone had remote access: disconnect the computer from the internet.
• Call the bank on the number on the card. Say a scammer tricked you into sending money and ask to stop or reverse the payment.
• Paid by gift card: call the number on the back of the card, keep the card and the receipt.
• Change the email and banking passwords, and turn on two-factor.
• Keep the evidence: screenshots, the website address, phone numbers, emails.
• Report it.

The FTC's page on what to do if you were scammed lists the steps for each way of paying: card, bank transfer, wire, gift card and cryptocurrency.^[12] For a wire transfer, the FBI suggests asking the bank for a recall.^[13]

Where to report in the US: file a report at ic3.gov. For help with the report, the Elder Fraud Hotline is 833-372-8311, Monday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm Eastern.^[13] The FTC takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.^[5]

Then look after your parent. People who were scammed often feel ashamed and stay quiet the next time. Say clearly that it can happen to anyone and that calling you was the right thing to do. Our guide my parent clicked a scam link: what to do in the first hour goes through each case in more detail.

Where a scam blocker fits

A scam blocker covers the one moment you can't be there for: the click. Phishing pages, fake shops, fake virus warnings and fake payment pages all open in the browser. If the page never shows, the phone number on it never gets called.

Be clear about what it doesn't cover. Phone calls, text messages and letters reach your parent outside the browser, and some scams start there. That is why the rules and the bank layer matter as much as the setup.

OkayTab is built for the parent's laptop. You install it once, and it checks every new site in the background. Only a short summary of each page leaves the browser for the check: the address without the part after the question mark, the title, the description, the headings and the links. Never the page text, what your parent types into forms, or cookies. One account covers up to three browsers, for example your parent's laptop and their desktop. There is one plan, $22.99 a year or $3.59 a month, with no free tier and no trial. See scam protection for elderly parents for how it looks on your parent's screen.

Questions about protecting elderly parents from online scams

What scams target older people on the internet most often?

Phishing is the most reported: emails, texts and calls that pretend to come from a known company and ask for login or bank details. Tech support scams come second and often start with a fake virus pop-up. The highest losses come from investment scams and tech support scams.

What should I do first when my parent fell for an online scam?

Call the bank on the number on the card and ask to stop or reverse the payment. If a stranger had access to the computer, disconnect it from the internet first. Then change the email and banking passwords and report the scam.

Should I take over my parent's online banking?

Usually not. It takes away their independence and doesn't stop a scammer on the phone. Payment alerts, a trusted contact and an agreement to call you before any unusual payment protect the money while your parent stays in charge.

Is the browser's built-in protection enough?

It is a good start and it is free. Chrome and Edge warn about sites on their lists of known dangerous pages. New scam sites appear every day, and a site has to be reported before it is on a list, so a second layer that checks new sites helps.

How do I talk to my parent about scams without sounding patronising?

Talk about scams as something that happens to everyone, you included. Share a scam you nearly fell for. Agree on the three rules together, and make clear that a "is this real?" call is always welcome.

Can OkayTab protect my parent's laptop?

OkayTab checks every new site your parent opens in Chrome, Edge or Firefox and shows a full-page warning when a site looks like a scam. It can't stop phone calls or catch every scam, so it works best together with the rules in this guide.

Sources

1. Federal Bureau of Investigation: 2025 IC3 Annual Report, Elder Fraud section and Recovery Asset Team
2. Federal Trade Commission: FTC Issues Annual Report to Congress on Agency's Actions to Protect Older Adults (19 October 2026)
3. FBI IC3: "Phantom Hacker" Scams Target Senior Citizens and Result in Victims Losing their Life Savings (29 September 2023)
4. Federal Trade Commission: How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Tech Support Scams
5. Federal Trade Commission: Avoiding and Reporting Gift Card Scams
6. Federal Trade Commission: How To Avoid a Scam
7. FBI IC3: Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud (3 December 2024)
8. Google Chrome Help: Manage Safe Browsing protection levels
9. Microsoft Support: How can SmartScreen help protect me in Microsoft Edge?
10. Malwarebytes: Browser Guard
11. FINRA: Protecting Older Investors From Financial Exploitation
12. Federal Trade Commission: What To Do if You Were Scammed
13. FBI IC3: Elder Fraud