The Flow Foundation recently hosted a public virtual forum for senior citizens during its Safer Internet Week, staged between February 8 – 12, 2022. The session educated the group on safe internet practices, overcoming digital fears and protecting their digital property.

Over the years, studies have shown that senior citizens are especially vulnerable in the online space as they are regarded as easy targets for scams and other malicious attempts for hackers to score private data. The Seniors’ Forum addressed this issue, among others, and was expertly moderated by Actor, Glen Campbell, and popular Media Personality, Fae Ellington. The energetic duo spoke to a variety of experts who covered several topics including internet scams, protecting your device, uploading information on the internet and a step-by-step guide to acquiring your digital vaccination certificate.

The first segment of the forum highlighted the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) and the services it provides.  Cassandra Morrison, Executive Director of the NCSC, explained: “First there is advocacy…there are certain things that people don’t know about us.  For example, the Jamaica Drug for the Elderly Programme (JADEP) is there because the NCSC advocated for such a benefit. It has now been merged with the National Health Fund (NHF). We provide referral services, we also provide a senior citizens identification card that allows you to access other services and benefits.”

The second segment of the Safer Internet Week Seniors’ Forum focused on online safety.

Speaking on cybersecurity and protecting digital property were Deputy Superintendent Warren Williams, from the JCF Cyber Crime Division, and Lt Colonel Godphey Sterling, Head of the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team.

Lt Colonel Sterling suggested three main tips to protect senior citizens from online scams and other threats.

“Firstly, try to understand what you are attempting to do on the internet and do it securely.  If you can’t understand, then seek support – whether from your children or grandchildren.  When you’re creating passwords, ensure that they are strong.  Long and complex passwords may be difficult to remember but think about a passphrase that may give you the desired level of strength and is easy to remember,” said Sterling.

Secondly, he also added that passwords may still be lost or stolen and so encouraged persons to also use multifactor authentication.  Simply put, this is when one’s password is entered, there is a second request for either a one-time password or a code to be inputted on another device.

Thirdly, he encouraged seniors to “ensure their devices are up to date”.  Updated devices are usually harder to hack than outdated ones which are much easier as they may not have all the security patches.

“Check, then upgrade because there are sophisticated scammers who will send messages that are not from the manufacturer and when you click on the link, you are compromised,” he said.

DSP Williams in speaking to securing one’s devices, agreed that the seniors should make their passwords “long and strong” and use the native language, patois, to create passwords as it is harder for persons in other countries to hack their devices.

“Trust but verify,” he said as he cautioned against sharing personal and sensitive information.

The Forum wrapped with a demonstration from the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) on how to upload and digitize one’s vaccination card.

Shawn Bolton from the IT Department of the MOHW provided a step-by-step walkthrough on how to upload and digitize a vaccination card. He simplified security terms and features on the site, such as the lock symbol in the search bar “which shows that the page is secure”, the ‘I am not a robot’ function which “ensures it’s a human and not a malicious machine interacting with the website”.

Flow marked Safer Internet Day with a week of activities focused on creating a safer online space for all.  The full Seniors’ Forum may be viewed on the company’s YouTube channel – @FlowJamaica.