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In Greek mythology, the Sirens were creatures whose irresistible song lured sailors to their doom. Odysseus, the hero of “The Odyssey,” wanted to hear that famous song. But he knew it was dangerous. So, he had his men tie him to the mast and block their ears with beeswax. Then, they sailed toward the Island of the Sirens. Why? Because Odysseus understood that once he heard their song, he wouldn’t be able to resist. And that song always leads to trouble.
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A dad working on his laptop. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsso)
How scammers trick your parents even when they know better
What does this have to do with protecting your parents from scammers? None of us is invulnerable, not even a hero like Odysseus. The trick is knowing what you can’t resist and, one way or another, avoiding it. You can teach your parents all there is to know about modern-day fraud and the dangers of sharing personal information, but there’s still this Siren song out there that will have them throwing all that knowledge out the window in a heartbeat.
What this Siren song is varies from person to person and day to day. It might be a near-perfect clone of a grandchild’s voice, calling in a panic and asking for an urgent transfer to bail them out of trouble, if not jail. Alternatively, a financial adviser could be deftly playing on your parents’ anxieties around money since retiring. Another common scam involves a suspiciously foreign-sounding Microsoft customer-support worker calling to inform your parents that the computer they don’t have or never use has been infected with a virus.
Emotional triggers are the scammer’s best tool
The point is that all of us, no matter how well-informed, careful, or clever, can be exploited by a fast-talking scammer. All it takes is the right hook at exactly the wrong moment, and we’re along for the ride. All the more so as we get older and technology advances rapidly, leaving us behind. Scammers rely on emotional reactions as much as, if not more than, ignorance. Letting your parents know about the dangers of engaging with strangers (even if they claim to be from Visa or the IRS) is crucial, but it’s not enough. Scammers exploit fear, greed, and the desire to please others or simply be a good citizen. They’re experts at raising the emotional toll of interrupting, interrogating, or ignoring them. In short, getting drawn into discussions with scammers is playing with fire.
(Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsso)
The best solution: Cut off scammers at the source
So, what’s the solution? Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They’re getting your parents’ contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere. Stop them from getting their hands on it, and they won’t have the chance to manipulate your parents into doing something they’ll regret.
People-search sites are a great source of information for scammers. Fast, easy, and inexpensive, they fuel smaller operations and individual scammers. People-search sites are a kind of data broker; the other major kind, sometimes called private-database data brokers, are even worse. These data brokers sell personal data in bulk to other businesses.
They’ve been caught selling the personal data of vulnerable adults before, offering data packs that focused on people who needed in-home care or were suffering from cognitive impairment or decline, for example. This is worse than posting your parents’ details publicly. This is packaging up those details and marketing them directly to scammers.
An elderly parent and his daughter looking at a laptop screen. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsso)
Use a data removal service to protect your parents
The good news is that a data removal service can scrub both people-search sites and the databases of those other, more shadowy data brokers clean of your parents’ information. Names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, property values, health information, shopping habits, political preferences, and more. You can take all this down in one fell swoop with a personal data removal service.
While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you and your parents.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com/Delete.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com/FreeScan.
Kurt’s key takeaways
At the end of the day, protecting your parents isn’t just about warnings or knowledge. It’s about cutting off scammers before they even get a chance to call or reach out in some way. Removing personal data from sketchy sites is the secret weapon here. It’s simple, effective, and frees your loved ones from emotional traps.
Isn’t preventing contact better than trying to clean up the mess afterward? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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