Aged care targeted for e-safety education
The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is running free webinars to upskill aged care staff on how to recognise a scam to help keep seniors safe online.
The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is running free webinars to upskill aged care staff on how to recognise a scam to help keep seniors safe online.
Australians over 55 lost more than $39 million to scammers in 2017 and people over 65 reported more scams than any other age group.
Older people are often preyed upon by scammers due their higher accumulated wealth and perceived inexperience with the internet, says the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Yara Khalife, outreach lead for the eSafety with Be Connected program, said the presentations are designed to show how aged care workers can help their aged care clients be alert online.
The eSafety presentations will cover the most common scams targeting older Australians, tips on how to spot them, what to do or not do, and how to access help.
“The internet is a wonderful place to explore and connect, but it pays to be savvy,” she said.
By using webinar learning, Ms Khalife said the program hoped to reach a wide range of aged care organisations across Australia, including in rural and remote areas.
The industry webinars are part of the Be Connected program, a Federal Government initiative to increase the skills and online safety of older Australians.
The Be Connected website includes information and resources to help older people increase their digital skills.
The eSafety presentations will run from 7-25 May.
Along with staff, aged care residents are also invited to participate in the free one-hour education sessions delivered by an e-safety expert.
To participate, aged care organisations will be need to book a session at this link. Each webinar session will require a minimum of 10 participants to run.
For further information contact: beconnected@esafety.gov.au