How to Protect Elderly Parents From Phone and Online Scams

If you want to protect your elderly parents from scams, the shortest answer is this: lock down their phone, agree on a few house rules about money and urgency, and put one trusted person (you) on the other end of every suspicious call. You do not need to scare them. You need a simple system they can actually follow on a Tuesday afternoon when the phone rings.

At Getshure, we publish plain-English books and offer a protection app built for exactly this situation — ordinary American families, often with a parent over 70, who want fewer scam calls and a clear plan if something goes wrong. This guide walks you through what to do first, what tools help, and how we can help if you want more than a checklist.

Why older parents are targeted (and why it is not about being "gullible")

Scammers call older Americans on purpose. Many are home during the day, answer unknown numbers, have landlines, have savings, and were raised to be polite to strangers on the phone. The FTC tracks these patterns and publishes consumer guidance at consumer.ftc.gov. None of this is about intelligence. A retired engineer and a retired teacher can both be fooled by a convincing "grandchild in jail" call, especially now that AI can clone a voice from a few seconds of audio.

So the goal is not to lecture your parents. The goal is to remove the tricks before they reach them, and to give them a script when one slips through.

Step 1: Have one short, respectful conversation

Before you touch their phone or computer, sit down with them. Keep it under 15 minutes. Try something like:

"Mom, scammers have gotten really good this year — they can even fake voices now. I want to set up a few things on your phone so fewer of them get through, and I want us to agree on one rule: if anyone ever asks you to send money fast, you call me first, even if it sounds like me."

That one rule — call me first — stops more scams than any app. Pair it with a family safe word that only your household knows. If a "grandchild" calls crying from jail and cannot say the safe word, it is not your grandchild.

Step 2: Lock down the phone

Most scams now start with a call or a text. Fix the phone and you cut the volume in half.

1. Turn on silence unknown callers. On iPhone: Settings > Apps > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers. On Android: open the Phone app, tap the menu, go to Settings > Blocked numbers and turn on "Unknown" or "Spam and Call Screen."
2. Register on the national Do Not Call list at donotcall.gov. It will not stop criminals, but it reduces legitimate robocalls so the fake ones stand out.
3. Add you as an emergency contact on the lock screen. If something happens, first responders — and your parent — can reach you fast.
4. Install a scam-call blocker that identifies likely spam and lets you look up unknown numbers. More on this in a moment.
5. Enable text filtering. On iPhone: Settings > Apps > Messages > Filter Unknown Senders. On Android: Messages app > Settings > Spam protection.

For a deeper walkthrough, see our guide on how to block spam calls and robocalls on iPhone and Android.

Step 3: Agree on the "never" list

Print this and tape it next to their phone. These are things no real company or agency will ever ask them to do:

• Buy gift cards (Apple, Target, Google Play) to pay a bill, fine, or fee. Ever. See why scammers ask for gift cards.
• Wire money, send cryptocurrency, or hand cash to a courier.
• Stay on the phone while driving to the bank.
• Share a code sent by text — not with "Microsoft," not with "the bank," not with "Amazon."
• Give remote access to their computer because someone called about a refund or a virus.
• Press 1 on a recorded call to "speak to an agent."

Tell them plainly: the IRS, Social Security, Medicare, and their utility company do not operate this way. Related reads: IRS scam calls, Social Security scam calls, and Medicare scams.

Step 4: Protect the money

The scam only works if money leaves the account. Add a few quiet speed bumps:

1. Turn on bank alerts for any transaction over a set amount (say $200) and for any wire or Zelle transfer. Have the alerts go to both you and your parent, if the bank allows it.
2. Freeze their credit at all three bureaus. It is free and reversible. Walk through it with our credit freeze guide, or go directly to equifax.com, experian.com, and transunion.com.
3. Ask the bank about "trusted contact" status. Many banks let an older customer name an adult child who can be called if the bank notices unusual activity. The trusted contact does not get access to the money — just a heads-up.
4. Lower daily wire and Zelle limits to the smallest amount the bank will allow.

Step 5: Clean up the online footprint

Older parents are often listed on dozens of "people-search" sites with their home address, age, and relatives' names. That is how a scammer calls and already knows your name. Removing those listings is tedious but doable. You can do it by hand (each site has an opt-out page) or let a tool send the removal requests for you. See how to remove your personal information from the internet.

While you are there, check whether their email address shows up in known data breaches — see how to check if your email or password was leaked — and turn on two-factor authentication on their email and bank. Our walkthrough: two-factor authentication guide.

The Getshure app: Scam Shield call blocking

If you want one tool on your parents' phone that actually reduces scam calls, the Scam Shield feature in the Getshure app is built for this. It identifies likely scam and spam callers, helps block robocalls, and lets you (or your parent) look up an unknown number before calling back. It also includes a browsing-history eraser and a phone security score with simple steps to improve it.

Scam Shield is included with every Getshure protection plan — no separate purchase, and the only charge on the card comes from Getshure. You can read exactly what the app does (and what no app can do) in The Getshure App: What It Does and What It Can't Do.

To install it on your parent's Android phone, use the Getshure app on Google Play. On iPhone, use the download link in the order confirmation email after you sign up for a plan. Full setup help: Getshure app sign-in and activation.

No app blocks every scam — the smart calls still get through sometimes — but a good blocker takes the easy ones off the table, which means fewer chances for your parent to be pressured on a bad day.

The book to give them: "Keep Your Family Safe from AI"

A lot of older parents read better in print than on a screen. Our hardcover Keep Your Family Safe from AI is written in plain English, in a large readable format, specifically for family use. It covers AI voice cloning and the grandparent scam, fake bank and delivery texts, romance scams, how to set a family safe word, and what to do in the first ten minutes if something goes wrong.

It is $29 with free US shipping on orders of $40+. Many adult children buy one for themselves and one for a parent so they can talk through the same chapter on a Sunday call. If you are not ready for a plan, the book alone is a solid start — and it comes with our 30-day money-back guarantee.

Step 6: Write down the "if it happens" plan

Even with every tool in place, assume one scam will land eventually. The difference between a scare and a disaster is how fast you respond. Tape this short list by their phone:

1. Stop the money. Call the bank or card issuer using the number on the back of the card. Ask them to reverse the transfer and lock the account.
2. Call me. (Your number here.)
3. Change the email password if any code was shared.
4. Freeze credit at the three bureaus if any Social Security number was given.
5. Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, for internet or money-wire scams, at ic3.gov.

If identity was stolen, identitytheft.gov generates a personalized recovery plan. We walk you through it step by step in identity theft: what to do, step by step. And if it just happened, our first 10 minutes guide is the fastest triage we know.

A quick weekend checklist

• Have the "call me first" conversation and pick a family safe word.
• Turn on silence unknown callers and text filtering on their phone.
• Register at donotcall.gov.
• Install a scam-call blocker (Getshure's Scam Shield or another you trust).
• Turn on bank alerts, lower wire limits, add a trusted contact.
• Freeze credit at all three bureaus.
• Enable two-factor on email and bank.
• Start a data-broker removal — by hand or with the Getshure app.
• Tape the "never" list and the "if it happens" list next to the phone.
• Leave them a copy of Keep Your Family Safe from AI.

Why families choose Getshure

We are a small American publisher and protection service. If you want to check us out before you buy, here is what you can verify today: Getshure is operated by MetaWise Enterprises, LLC, a Delaware company (file number 10336625), with a US office at 11772 W Sample Rd, Ste 103, Ofc 240, Coral Springs, FL 33065 and a real support line at (754) 812-1679, Monday–Friday, 9 AM – 6 PM Eastern.

Every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, written out on our refund policy page. You can cancel in one step anytime at getshure.com/cancel — no phone maze. Card statements show as GETSHURE.COM so there is no mystery charge. Our full story is on Is Getshure Legit?

Ready to set this up?

Pick whichever next step fits you:

• Start with the book: order Keep Your Family Safe from AI ($29, free shipping on $40+). Give one to your parent and keep one for yourself.
• Get the app on their phone: choose a protection plan and install the Getshure app on Google Play (Android) or use the download link in your order email (iPhone).
• Talk to a human first: call (754) 812-1679 or email contact@getshure.com. We will answer your questions before you spend a dollar.

The scammers are not going to slow down. But with one honest conversation, a locked-down phone, and a trusted person on the other end of every strange call, your parents can stay safely connected — and you can stop lying awake wondering.