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Comment by sremani | Hacker News Reader

After 55 years and beyond, people get vulnerable as their mental guard gets down. That is why Senior scams predate 'Interwebs' and it is a really thing. It is a massive global industry when it comes to Scams. At the same time we operate in a modern world, where you are expected to carry a 'Smart Phone' and a computer with internet connection.

The place to look for is certainly 'parental control' apps and set-up where you can put enough guards and notifications. More or less acting like a parent to old parent and hone on things based on their usage patterns.

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Thanks, junior! So far (67), I find that I become grouchier and more suspicious.

You know, I find that for my parents, this is the thing that is saving them.

They were never very outgoing people, weren't highly skilled at English being immigrants, and didn't engage in the polite courtesies that prepare you to be a well adjusted and sociable kid growing up in the USA. They had no cares for my arguments about being felt left out of activities or such.

But you know what, it's perfect for them not being scammed now, decades later. They just don't pick up the phone for anyone, or if they do and don't understand anything, they just hang up. They don't pay attention to emails or feel like they're missing out on some amazing deal that comes their way. All they have is a tendency to forward news articles that are slightly "oh I saw this 5 years ago".

Funny, it's like some evolutionary niche. Things that are a detriment in one environment turn out to be a saving grace and success in another.

My gut feeling is that the higher order bits are not age, but rather unfamiliarity with technology and inability to adapt to changing technology. It just so happens that these two things tend to correlate with age. I don’t think 55 is anywhere near the age where a decline in mental acuity would typically start hampering adaptation, and the cutoff age for “familiar with technology and able to adapt to new tech” is probably rising as gen Xers age.

I have aging parents, and I myself in mid-forties, so my comments are coming from place of understanding and need to protect loved ones.

I do applaud your care for your parents. At the same time, you should remember that in twenty years or so you will be of my age, and may not regard yourself as endangered.

As a 58 year old, I seem to spend quite a lot of time clearing malware and giving security advice to my 20-something kids.

The bigger question for you, are you clearing malware that your 48 year old self could not clear or made the mistake of installing.

Self-reference is important here when you are applying an observation of aggregate groups.

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