Elderly parents often get their internet from their children: installed, set up once, then left. From then on they receive every prize SMS, every call "from the bank", and every WhatsApp link from an unknown number on their own. They're also the targets scammers prefer: polite, reluctant to be a bother, and shy about asking. This guide is for the child who looks after it, what to set up in one visit so the parents' internet is safe and stays simple.

On the router: three settings, once

  • Secure the basics. Change the router admin password, the Wi-Fi password, and disable WPS. Full steps in the guide to securing a home router. Write the Wi-Fi password on paper and stick it under the router, for elderly parents, paper is safer than an app they forget how to open.
  • Set a filtering DNS on the router. This is the single setting with the biggest payoff. A family DNS (from Cloudflare, Quad9, or others offering a family mode) blocks known scam and malware sites for every device in the house, without installing anything on their phones. How and which to choose in the public DNS guide.
  • Enable the remote management app. Most major-brand routers have an app usable from another city to see connected devices, restart the router, and change the password. It's what turns "the Wi-Fi's down, dear" into something solved without a trip.

On the phone: fewer doors in

  • Disable installing from unknown sources. "Wedding invitation" and "parcel receipt" scams work by getting the victim to install an APK file from WhatsApp. With installs from outside the Play Store disabled, that whole category of scam fails at step one.
  • Enable spam call and SMS filtering. The default Phone and Messages apps from Google and Samsung have filters that flag reported scam numbers. Not perfect, but they cut a lot.
  • Simplify the home screen. Keep the apps they use: phone, WhatsApp, camera, and one or two others. An app your parents don't recognise is one they can't tell apart from a fake.
  • Mobile banking: consider going without. If they don't truly need it, a phone without a banking app is a phone that can't be drained. If they do, set a small daily transfer limit through the bank. General guidance in mobile banking security.
  • Automatic updates on, for system and apps. This is what they won't do themselves.

One agreement that matters more than every setting

Technical settings reduce the doors in. What stops the scam that gets through is one habit agreed together, said clearly, and repeated a few times:

"Before sending money, sharing any code, or installing an app because someone asked, call me first. Any time. It's fine if it turns out not to be a scam."

That last sentence matters. Parents often don't call because they fear being a bother or feel embarrassed if they're wrong. Say explicitly that calling about something that turns out to be nothing is what you want. Add two facts that are easy to remember: the bank never asks for an OTP code by phone, and no official ever asks for money to be moved to a "safe account". The scam patterns are covered in scammers posing as internet technicians and phishing over public Wi-Fi.

Supporting from afar

  • Practise screen sharing once while you're still there, via a WhatsApp video call or Google Meet, which has a share-screen feature. When your parents are confused by a message, they can show it rather than describe it.
  • Make yourself the recovery contact for their Google and WhatsApp accounts, so a locked or hijacked account can be recovered without them remembering security answers.
  • Keep a photo of the router label and their internet customer number on your phone, so you can file fault reports on their behalf.
  • Check monthly through the router app: any unknown devices, and is the firmware updated. See signs your Wi-Fi has been compromised for what to look out for.

On the router: secure it, set a filtering DNS, enable remote management. On the phone: disable unknown sources, enable spam filters, simplify, and consider going without mobile banking. Then one agreement said out loud: call first before sending money or a code, and it's fine if it turns out to be nothing.

Frequently asked questions

What's the single most important thing to protect parents from online scams?

One agreed rule: before sending money, sharing a code, or installing an app at anyone's request, call your child first. Not a technical setting, that agreement is what most often stops a scam.

Do my parents need antivirus on their phone?

On Android, the built-in Google Play Protect is enough if installing apps from outside the Play Store is disabled. More useful than antivirus is turning off unknown sources and enabling the spam call and SMS filters.

How do I help my parents from another city when their internet breaks?

Use a router with a remote management app (most major brands have one), and set up screen sharing on their phone via Google Meet's built-in feature or a remote assistance app. Practise once before it's actually needed.