Educating New Zealand seniors about the importance of online safety
Since starting business in 2005, Geeks on Wheels has been helping New Zealander’s both young and old with online safety. In the last 20 years, the online landscape has evolved significantly, not only in New Zealand but across the world. Now, the lives of Kiwis are more online than ever before.
Unfortunately for many, this digital age has come along at a rapid pace. Often faster than users can keep up with. With it, has come an ever-increasing torrent of digital scams. From phishing emails to cryptocurrency scams, it can be hard to keep up with a constantly evolving cybersecurity landscape.
Over 60% of New Zealanders surveyed by Netsafe encounter scams at least once a month and nearly 20% once a day. Worryingly, many Kiwis don’t know how to identify a scam, with nearly $200 Million dollars being lost to scams last year alone. Many elderly and at-risk internet users are left vulnerable if not equipped with the right safety measures and up-to-date information to aid in scam avoidance.
What are we doing to help?
Geeks on Wheels offers a wide range of tech support services, encompassing online safety and device training, with the goal of empowering users of technology. We have furthered our commitment to improving the scam awareness of Kiwi’s, especially seniors and vulnerable internet users. We’ve set out to achieve this by providing free educational seminars throughout New Zealand.
These seminars are aimed at teaching scam awareness and educating attendees on scam identification techniques. This is achieved by arming them with the knowledge and skills to use the internet with confidence.
In the last twelve months, Geeks on Wheels has coordinated more than 20 educational seminars. Providing important advice and expert insight into online safety for a range of community groups. These have included SeniorNet, AgeConcern, Citizens Advice Bureau and numerous retirement villages, to list a few.
How is Geeks on Wheels educating Kiwis about online safety?
Our recent online safety seminars have focussed on the numerous types of scams that everyday Kiwis are most likely to encounter. These include phishing scams, sent via email or text, social media scams, and phone scams.
We discuss ways to identify these scams, how to safeguard your devices and what steps to take if you fall victim to a scam. Our technicians also put their skills to work by answering any tech-related questions and solving simple tech troubles for attendees on the spot.
We’d love to visit you and talk about online safety!
Are you part of a local group that could benefit from some helpful tips about online safety? Are you an events coordinator at an aged care facility or are you planning a tech-related event? Geeks on Wheels would love to hear from you! We have technicians in 11 locations throughout New Zealand. Check to see if we’re in your area! To talk about scheduling an online safety seminar from one of our tech experts, email marketing@geeksonwheels.co.nz We look forward to hearing from you!