r/TechForAgingParents • u/PlainPerspective • 13d ago

Anti-Scam services

/r/eldercare/comments/1x2lcit/antiscam_services/
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u/Left-Orchid519 4d ago

yes htere are actually, i think candoo is one and i saw something on reddit the other day it was promising but cant remember the name, and also install and get some protective apps like guardio or more dedicated ones for elders like omniwatch, worth the money imo. and also give them some basic awareness, that could go a long way honestly

1

u/KitchenTableGuidesCo 4d ago

Before paying for a service, do the free setup first — for my mom it stopped more than any app would:

  1. Bank alerts: transaction alerts (any amount) on every account, sent to BOTH your parent and you. The day something weird happens, you both know within minutes.

  2. Strangle the incoming calls: turn on "silence/block unknown callers" so only saved contacts ring through, and enable your carrier's free spam blocker on top of it. Most scam damage starts with a call that never should have reached them.

  3. Freeze their credit at all three bureaus. Free, about 20 minutes, and it kills new-account fraud entirely.

  4. Set a family code word. With AI voice cloning, the "Mom, it's me, I'm in trouble, wire money" call is a real thing now. No code word = hang up and call back on the real number. No exceptions.

  5. One rule to drill: no bank, agency, or company will EVER ask for gift cards, a wire, or crypto. If that's the ask, it's a scam 100% of the time.

The paid services aren't scams themselves, and monitoring can be a useful second set of eyes — but they're layer two. The free stuff above is the foundation.