My dad almost fell for a fake email while we watched a movie

We were relaxing with a film when my dad got an email saying his Netflix account had issues. He clicked the link and started to type his password. I had to quickly point out the weird sender address and spelling mistakes. Now I'm trying to find easy ways to teach my parents about online scams without confusing them. How do you help your family with stuff like this? What simple tips work for people who don't get tech? I'd like to hear how others handle it.

3 comments

3 Comments

emmahayes3d ago

Ugh, I read this trick somewhere about using a password manager... like tell them to type a totally fake password first. If the fake site accepts it, you know it's a scam for sure. Makes the point without getting too technical.

the_ray4d ago

Man, I feel this so hard! My mom almost did the same thing with a fake Amazon email last month, and it made me realize how sneaky these scams are. I kinda rambled at her about checking the sender address first, since that's a dead giveaway most of the time. What really helped was making a simple rule, like never clicking links in emails and just going to the website directly instead. Oh, and I showed her how to look for bad spelling, because real companies don't usually mess that up. It's all about going over the same few points again and again without using techy words. Just keep it basic and calm, and it starts to sink in.

the_wyatt4d ago

Yeah, good point about keeping it basic. But honestly, a lot of the real company emails have typos these days too, idk why. The sender thing is still the best check for sure.