Retire VA 24 - 24

" I'm very active on Facebook. I have friends around
the world that I stay in touch with via email. ...
WhatsApp allows us to make 'local calls' to anyone
in the world. "
Ashley Pannell is all too familiar with the terms and their
meaning. She teaches seniors about the prevalent fraud on
the Internet in her Computer Basics (540-632-0091) classes,
which are available free at Roanoke City's libraries. There
are a number of other organizations teaching the elderly
computer safety. A Google search will reveal some of them.
Common ways to gain access to your information (or
accounts) she says, are:
* Use of removable media (disks, for example)
* Web/email hacks and spam
* Unauthorized use of your computer system
* Loss or theft of devices (phone, iPad, etc.)
containing your information
* Downloading malware or viruses
* Disclosure of information to the bad guys
* Surfing unsecure web sites
* Using unsecure networks
* Giving information over the phone when you didn't
initiate the call
Phone calls and texts can be just as dangerous as online
scams - sometimes more so because of the immediacy
and intimacy of them. A common scam is a caller stating
that a family member (most likely a grandchild) needs bail
money or has been in an accident and needs funds.
Pannell suggests that you never give out your personal/
financial information on a phone call you did not initiate.
If the caller asks if so-and-so is your name, don't respond
" yes " because that can be recorded and used against you.
Simply say, " Who's calling and why? "
Those are some of the basics, but not all of the potential
traps. Passwords are frequently easy to penetrate, says
Pannell, because personal information is often used to create
them. Pannell suggests that, first, you put your passwords
in a safe place (in a book, kept in a locked drawer
is good), but always use letters (capital and lower case),
numbers and symbols.
For example, the date of your birth, often used in passwords,
is January 13, 1950. Make that read !13!95o. Your
name is Chris Miller. Make it chr!s#mi!!er$. Your password
is !13!95ochr!s#mi!!er$. Break that one, baby.
Mostly, it's a matter of common sense. Treat it as you
would your bank account (because it could be that account
being penetrated). -DS
Ann Shawhan of Blacksburg says, " Long cursive
snail mail letters would be delicious, and I have a
friend who persists with these, much to my delight,
but I think social media is like fire, in that it has been
used for harm but it is so great at keeping people
connected or reconnecting them. One can curate
one's feed, which I do. "
Susan Ostaseski of Roanoke loves " the ability to
stay connected with friends, especially if they are in
another state or country. My high school class has
been much closer since Facebook started. "
Pam Kellett, 66, a Roanoke activities director,
says, " Most of the people I'm truly connected with
on social media are older. Of course, I have young
people that I follow or connect with like my kids or
colleagues (I'm a working girl), or people I discover
to be interesting but with them my internet relations
are more for observations - really more voyeuristic,
to be honest. There is a kind of miracle of closure to
find an old friend and hear their voice or reimagine
them in their current Hong Kong office or French atelier
instead of the high school Sadie Hawkins dance.
I also love being able to appease my curiosity or flatten
my ignorance by looking stuff up any time of day
or night. "
Maureen Eiger, 72, former TV director at Blue Ridge
Public TV, says, " I'm allergic to cats, so I can't visit a
lot of friends' homes. " Facebook is " a good place if
you can sort through the fake stuff or BS and make
phone calls to people you like as a real connection. "
Lynn Willams, 86, is active on Facebook and she
does online banking, checking her balance every day
and seeing what's cleared and what hasn't.
Regina York, 71 of Roanoke, says, " Social media
allows me to stay involved. I stay in touch with elementary
school friends, distant relatives, exceptional
people drawn to this unique community and close
relatives. "
Jean Woods, 76, of Floyd, rescues dogs using
social media, and Carol Yosafat, 90, stays connected
with family and former students on social media.
Former college professor Kris Tilley-Lubbs, 78, uses
Facebook, texting, email, WhatsApp and Instagram.
The uses are almost infinite. And the senior crowd
is learning that. I
24
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