Senior Cyber Safety Briefing – October 24, 2025

🚨ALERT – Major health‑insurer breach: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana exposes up to 462,000 members’ data
👉Why it matters – If you’re a member (or someone senior you know is), your personal and medical information may have been exposed in the breach of a third‑party vendor for BCBSMT. That means scammers could use your data to impersonate you or your provider and try to steal money or identity. Newsweek
📣Call to Action – If you’re a BCBSMT member (or have ever been), check your credit report, enroll in any free monitoring the insurer offers, and be suspicious of any unexpected contact purporting to be from your insurer.

📈ECONOMY & SECURITY – Meta Platforms launches new anti‑scam alert features for older users on WhatsApp & Messenger
👉Why it matters – Social‑media and messaging platforms are a favorite playground for fraudsters targeting seniors. By adding extra alerts, Meta is acknowledging that older adults need extra protection. Yahoo Tech
📣Call to Action – On WhatsApp or Messenger, go into settings (especially under privacy or safety) and enable any “scam alerts” or “screen‑share warnings” features. Also remind any older contacts or family members to check theirs.

🧠MUST‑READ – Email phishing is evolving: attackers are bypassing filters with more advanced methods
👉Why it matters – Phishing used to be easier to spot (bad grammar, weird links). Now attackers are using smarter evasion and are specifically going after older adults who may be less tech‑savvy. Cyber Security News
📣Call to Action – Always hover before you click: check sender addresses—do they match real organisation domains? If you weren’t expecting a message, call the company directly using a number you know. Never assume just because it says “Company Support”.

💡OPPORTUNITY – Data‑breach settlement: AT&T customers may be eligible for up to US $7,500 due to a $177 million settlement over two breaches
👉Why it matters – If you’re a current or former AT&T customer, you could be owed money. That also means your personal data was impacted—something seniors shouldn’t ignore. Better Health For All
📣Call to Action – Visit the settlement claims website linked in the article, check eligibility, and file any claim before the deadline.

✅Quick Safety Tip of the Day
Use a password manager (or write down strong, unique passwords in a secure way) so you don’t reuse the same password across important accounts.

(AI was used to create this article.)

🙋Closing Note

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