Scam-proof an aging parent's phone, inbox, and bank accounts
Their devices and accounts hardened, bank and brokerage trusted-contact and alert settings enabled, carrier port-out and SIM protections on, a shared verification word agreed for family-emergency calls, the recurring scams rehearsed together, and a written response plan for the day something gets through.
Free preview: 4 of 24 steps
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Who it's for
Adult children of parents in their 70s and 80s, especially after a first near-miss — a grandchild call, a gift-card request, a tech-support popup — who want real protection without making the parent technical. It assumes the parent is still mentally capable and consents to every step; it is not for families managing dementia or conservatorship.
About this playbook
Protect a parent in their 70s or 80s from the scams that actually reach them — the grandchild-emergency call, the tech-support popup, the gift-card request — without turning the parent into a technical user. The work runs in five stages: the first conversation, hardening the phone and inbox, enabling the bank and brokerage protections almost nobody turns on (trusted contacts, transaction alerts, transfer holds, a bank-recognized power of attorney), closing the carrier and credit loopholes (port-out PIN, credit freeze), and rehearsing the real scams so a genuine one gets refused. Everything is done side by side with the parent, one sitting at a time, each with a visible result, and the guide ends with a written incident-response plan for the day something gets through. It does not cover investment advice, estate planning beyond a durable power of attorney, or pursuing fraudsters through the courts.
What you'll do, step by stepFree preview
Only a sample is open: 4 of 24 steps can be read in full. The rest unlock when you buy.
Phase 1: Have the conversation and take stock
5 stepsPhase 2: Harden the phone, email, and inbox
5 stepsPhase 3: Lock down banks and brokerages
5 stepsPhase 4: Close carrier and credit loopholes
4 stepsPhase 5: Rehearse the scams and write the response plan
5 steps
Details
What you need first
The parent agrees to the project and keeps the right to decline any step. You can sit with them in person or on a video call for several sessions of about an hour. You have access to their phone, their primary email, and either their online logins or a way to call each institution together. Have their photo ID, Social Security number, account numbers, and carrier name at hand.
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