AI & Cybersecurity Expert, Sagar Pandya, Shares Expert Tips for Online Safety this Holiday Season

1 in 4 Americans aged 65 or older fall victim to identity theft.

December is National Identity Theft Prevention & Awareness Month. As more older adults integrate their lives into the modern online world, they’ve become easier targets for online dangers. Some of the most common scams we hear are the ones that target older adults by way of Medicare or the IRS. Without knowing how to tell the real apart from the fake, it becomes extremely easy for older adults to fall for these scams.

This is a recap of a 2023 interview with Sagar P. , a leading cybersecurity expert, who shares some insights and tips for online safety.

The Interview

The following conversation has been summarized for clarity. You can listen to the full conversation on S1E46 of the podcast!

Pooja: Can you briefly define identity theft? What are some examples of types of theft?

Identify theft is essentially when someone uses your personal or financial information without your permission. It can damage your reputation, credit status, and cost you time and headaches. Some examples include stolen funds, credit card fraud, stolen bank account information, credit files, health information, employment theft, biometric theft, social engineering and phishing. These continue to become more and more sophisticated, and it's getting much harder to tell what is real and what is fake.

What are some of the most prevalent online scams or methods used by cybercriminals to steal personal information and identities, especially targeting older adults?

It is easier than ever to become a “cybercriminal” with the technology we all have access to today. Some of the most common scams are done via phone and email. Older adults are perfect targets because they typically have good credit scores and usually established savings. Types of scams include phishing, tech support, romance, lottery or prize, healthcare, grandparent, charity, or social security scams. Mainly done via phone calls. The bad actors often call in, pretending to be someone they are not, and spend their time convincing these unsuspecting older adults into either transferring them money, giving up some information like SSN or bank accounts, or allowing them to remote into their computers. And older adults are typically more trusting than other age groups, and more likely to give up personal information. They are also not as savvy with technology, causing some challenges in their ability to spot the fraudsters.

How can individuals, particularly older adults, recognize potential red flags or warning signs of a scam or fraudulent activity online?

The best red flags are usually a false sense of urgency, threats or intimidation, requests for personal info, spelling or grammar mistakes, unknown phone numbers, payments via unusual ways like gift cards or screen sharing, and any other unusual requests. These bad actors play a volume game. They know that a certain percentage of people will fall victim, and they bank on that. So the incentive for the criminals is to move quickly. And because of this speed in which they move, they often make mistakes that a self aware and educated individual would be able to identify.

What role do social media platforms and online communication channels play in the context of identity theft and scams targeting older adults, and how can individuals better safeguard their information while using these platforms?

We as people like to share information on social media publicly. And this is a huge treasure chest of data for bad actors. Being able to look up family names, birthdays, other personal information related to each family member, and being able to directly message from social media platforms. Our older adults may not always be as tech savvy as the younger generations, and determining whether a FB message is real or not becomes very tricky.

Key Takeaway

Create a family safe word.

Start having regular conversations on how to stay safe together as a family (or a group of friends, co-workers, etc.), with all age groups being a part of the discussion. Create a safe space for everyone to ask questions. The more we open up about this topic, the more awareness we are going to create for each other. And remember, this is a team sport. Not just identity theft, but cyber safety. The tech is going to get bigger and bigger, and it will get harder to stay ahead of the bad actors. But there is hope if we all share this responsibility together!

===

At Aging Together , we are dedicated to helping you navigate aging, together.

===

To get in touch with Sagar, you can use one of the following:

• LinkedIn: Sagar P.
• Instagram: @heysagarpandya & @essentialdigitalpod
• TikTok: @heysagarpan