Senior Cyber Safety Briefing – September 2, 2025

 

🚨ALERT - Hackers exploit new Medicare-themed phishing wave targeting seniors

👉Why it matters - Scammers are sending emails and texts claiming to offer “new Medicare benefits” but link to fake portals that steal Social Security numbers and bank details. This campaign has been spreading aggressively across the U.S. in the past 24 hours.
📣Call to Action - Delete unexpected Medicare messages and only use the official Medicare.gov site for updates.

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🔥PRIVACY & BIG TECH - Meta faces EU probe over handling of older users’ health-related ad data
👉Why it matters - Regulators warn that sensitive information, including health conditions and age brackets, may have been misused in targeted advertising. Seniors are disproportionately exposed to predatory health-product ads.
📣Call to Action - Review and restrict your Facebook ad preferences under Settings → Ads → Ad Topics to reduce unwanted targeting.

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🧠MUST-READ - FBI: Voice-cloning scams double in 2025, seniors losing life savings
👉Why it matters - Criminals are using AI to mimic the voices of relatives in distress calls. Losses this year have already surpassed $700M, with older adults the prime target.
📣Call to Action - Set a family code word for emergencies—scammers can fake a voice, but they can’t guess the code.

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💡OPPORTUNITY - iOS and Android push urgent updates patching actively exploited zero-day flaws
👉Why it matters - Both Apple and Google released emergency patches for vulnerabilities already being used by attackers to target mobile banking and healthcare apps. Seniors who delay updates are at greater risk.
📣Call to Action - Update your iPhone or Android device today via Settings → Software Update. Don’t wait.

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✅Quick Safety Tip of the Day
Never scan a QR code from an email, text, or flyer unless you 100% trust the source—scammers love using them to fake Medicare or banking sites.

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(AI was used to aid in the creation of this article.)

🙋Closing Note
"Stay safe, stay secure, stay curious, and remember my friends—you’re never too old to outsmart a scammer👋"
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