Terms of Service with Clare Duffy How to Keep Your Parents and Grandparents Safe Online
Mar 3, 2026
Tazeen Khan, founder and CEO of Cyber Collective who teaches people to be internet street smart. She recounts why she started the nonprofit and outlines the top risks older adults face online. Conversations cover how AI amplifies misinformation, common scams like phishing and romance fraud, and practical rules and tools to help families keep seniors safer online.
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Founding Cyber Collective After Family Hacks
- Tazeen Khan started Cyber Collective after personal incidents exposed digital vulnerability in her community.
- Her father was hacked on Facebook and a friend was sextorted, which prompted workshops from her living room into a nonprofit.
Loneliness Fuels Scam Vulnerability
- Loneliness is an existential risk that makes older adults prime targets for scammers seeking companionship or trust.
- Scammers exploit emotional needs to run long cons like romance and investment scams that build rapport over time.
Pandemic Pushed Seniors Into Scammer Reach
- COVID-19 forced rapid digital adoption (telehealth, online banking), increasing exposure to online fraud among older adults.
- Scammers professionalized and AI removed old detection cues like bad grammar, making scams harder to spot.