(Aging Untold) — Ransomware is malicious software that can lock users out of their data or device until a ransom is paid and spoofed phone numbers and artificial intelligence can make scams look and sound real.
For older adults, families and businesses, one wrong click can create financial and security problems.
Aging Untold expert and gerontologist Sam Cradduck said that is why more people should apply an idea from cybersecurity called zero trust.
“So, zero trust means exactly that. I trust you zero. I give you no trust at all. Whether it’s a phone call, a text, an email, whatever you’re reading, whatever you’re seeing, whatever you’re hearing, is not true until you verify it,” Cradduck said.
The approach can feel uncomfortable, especially for people raised to answer the phone, be polite and trust someone who sounds official.
Cradduck said scammers count on that trust and use urgency to push people past their better judgment.
“You just hang up the phone, and then you verify. You close the email, you verify. You don’t open up a link, you don’t listen to the text, you don’t pay for the toll roads, you don’t go for the car warranty. None of those things. Use zero trust and you always verify everything and find the truth,” Cradduck said.
Artificial intelligence is making voices and messages easier to fake, and Cradduck said families may need new safety habits — such as a family safe word.
“So, make sure that you have that safe word that everybody in the family knows and use it. Make sure that you are vetting the person that’s calling or the email that’s coming through, the text message and the things that you’re hearing and seeing,” Cradduck said.
Copyright 2026 Gray Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
