5 Tech Tips for Seniors

5 Tech Tips for Seniors

5 tech tips for seniors that will keep you, your identity, and your financials safe this holiday season. Key tech tips for seniors that will help them be a little more tech-savvy.  Technology can be intimidating and frustrating for seniors, but it also can be helpful in their daily lives. It is important to assist seniors in understanding their phones, tablets, computers, etc. so they can stay in touch with their family and friends, plus do everyday things like banking.

Basic Tech Tips for Seniors:

• Adjust the settings. Whether it is their smartphone, tablet, or computer it is important to adjust the settings for their text size and brightness. It is frustrating if you cannot see the words or make them out because the text is too small, or the screen is too
• Check Your Volume. Do you miss calls or text messages often? There are two reasons for this, the first is your volume is not turned up or it is on silent. The second reason is the ringtone you chose is too faint of a sound; you need to choose a loud ringtone that will grab your attention. You can set different sounds, one for when the phone is ringing and one for when you receive a text message. Once you go to settings, choose sound then you can adjust your volume from there and choose a different ringtone.
  

  Security

• Keep Your Passwords. One of the biggest problems is remembering your password for the various sites and/or apps you use. Keep a journal or a sheet of paper in the kitchen drawer that you write all of your passwords down on. It is important for you to use a more challenging password, not something simple that is easy to figure out.
• Pick the right device. Instead of having a computer, a tablet may be the best option for you depending on what you like to do online. This is in addition to your smartphone, but it has a larger screen than your smartphone, but is not as big as a laptop or computer and can be carried around easily.
• Don’t click on links. You must be careful not to click on every link sent either through email or text. There are many scams out there. Scammers are very good at making emails and texts look like it is from a bank, Amazon, credit card company, etc. Don’t respond quickly, this includes do not click the link that is given in the email or text. A bank does not ask for personal information through email or text, call your local branch to find out if there is an issue with your account.
  

  Amazon

  Amazon does not text or email to let you know that you have fraudulent purchases on your account – think about it how does customer service know what you bought or didn’t buy. Investigate yourself, go directly to your account, and look at your purchase history. If there is something you did not purchase, then contact Amazon through the website customer service department. Credit card companies are the same as banks, they are not asking you for your information in a text or email. If you receive an odd email or text, call your credit card company.

  Email Address & Other Scams

  Another way is to just look at the email address that sent the email, typically it will be the company name then an odd ending. Companies do not use Gmail, yahoo, etc. They only use their company email. Text messages, pay attention to the link that is provided, legitimate companies only use their websites regardless of the department. The last thing is you are not getting a free gift card from Amazon or Walmart or anywhere else – this is a scam do not click on the link.

You don’t have to feel embarrassed if you need help. Ask a family member to help you if you need assistance with your device. Senior centers and libraries may offer classes in your area that may be beneficial.