How To Protect Your Parents From Scams
Practical steps to help protect older parents from scams — without taking away their independence.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Scammers often target older adults with impersonation, tech support, and romance scams, exploiting trust, politeness, and isolation. Protecting parents works best as a supportive partnership, not surveillance — building habits and safety nets together while respecting their autonomy.
Build awareness gently
Share examples of current scams as stories, not lectures. Frame it as 'these are going around' rather than 'you might fall for this'.
- Discuss real, current scam types together
- Agree that it's normal to pause and verify
- Emphasise that anyone can be targeted
Set up safety nets
Put practical protections in place that reduce the impact if a scam attempt happens.
- Agree a family 'safe word' for emergencies and suspicious calls
- Add a trusted contact to bank alerts where possible
- Register with call-blocking and mail-preference services
- Set up scam-call blocking on their phone
Make verifying easy
Give them a simple rule and an easy way to check with you before acting on any urgent request.
- Rule: never pay or share details under pressure — call me first
- Keep a written list of official bank/agency numbers
Conversation script
“I read about a scam where someone pretends to be the bank and asks people to move money — have you ever had a call like that?”
“Let's agree that if anyone ever pressures you to pay or move money fast, you'll call me first, no matter what they say.”
“How about we set up a family safe word, so we can always check it's really us?”
Frequently asked questions
How do I help without being controlling?
Focus on shared habits and safety nets rather than monitoring. Agree rules together, respect their independence, and frame it as protecting everyone in the family, not just them.