Seniors want to know whom they can trust online
Seniors have grown so concerned about their safety online that some avoid even low-risk activities such as online banking and shopping that could make their lives easier, a U of T study has found.
Cosmin Munteanu, a professor in UTM’s Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology, and Hiba Rafih, a master’s student in information, recently conducted in-depth interviews with 10 people between the ages of 60 and 80 in their homes and observed their online behaviour, particularly with respect to banking, shopping and pharmacy refills. If anything, says Munteanu, they were overly prudent. Although none of the interviewees had ever fallen for a scam, they sometimes flagged as suspicious bona fide announcements from charities or emails from friends.