How to Prepare Your Family for Scams, Emergencies, and the Unexpected
As much as I’d love to keep my head firmly in the sand, the older I get, the more I realize that being prepared isn’t optional. Scams are getting sharper, emergencies happen without warning, and loved ones I care about have been victims of fraud. That changes how you look at things. I get scam texts and emails all the time, and while they’re sometimes obvious, others are clever enough to make you pause. It’s not pleasant to think about, but it feels even worse not to.
I’m not approaching this from a place of fear. I simply want my family to have a plan so they’re not scrambling if something happens. It’s the same reason I carry insurance or make sure the car has gas before a long drive. These little safeguards give me peace of mind, and they may one day protect the people I love.
Here are a few of the measures I’ve put in place, and some I am still working on. You may already do many of these, but if not, consider this a gentle nudge.
Online Safety Habits
Scammers thrive on panic. If an email or text feels urgent or threatening, I remind myself to pause. No legitimate company will punish you for hanging up and calling back.
Text Scam
Here’s an example of a scam text I receive regularly. You can see that it went out to a large group of people’s phone numbers. If you click this link, you are opening your phone to the scammers who can steal your information. Don’t even be tempted to text back…just delete and label junk. And no, Amazon will never text you about a recall, but I’ve gotten several texts that claim just that.
Email Scam
Here’s a common type of email scam I get regularly. No, I did not order anything from this company, so I was immediately suspicious. When you check the sending email, you see a nonsensical email that is not associated with Intuit.
Here is another McAfee scam email…notice the email sender. The email said the email came from me to me. When I clicked on the sender’s email, I saw this [email protected]. A clear scam.
An Apple Email Scam
Another email scam claims that my iCloud storage is full and that I will lose my photos and videos. When you click the “Payment Declined” sender at the top of the email, it shows the sender’s email, which is not iCloud. Delete and label spam.
Some simple rules I live by:
- Never click on links in suspicious emails or texts.
- Use two-factor authentication when I can.
- Don’t recycle the same password for everything.
- These sound obvious, but in the moment, it’s easy to forget.
A Family Code Word
This is one of the simplest but smartest things you can do. Pick a word or phrase only your family knows and use it if something feels off.
Imagine you get a phone call from someone claiming to be your grandchild, panicked and needing money right away. AI can now copy people’s voices perfectly, so you can’t tell it’s not your loved one. Scammers prey on that instant emotional reaction. Instead of rushing, you can ask for the code word. If they can’t give it, you hang up.
I also like the idea of using it in everyday situations. If I’m out somewhere and something feels uncomfortable, I could text the word to my husband or my daughter. They would know it means I need help without me having to explain anything.
It takes all of five minutes to set up, but it could save a lot of heartache.
Keep Important Papers Accessible
I’ve learned through the years how impossible it is to make quick decisions without access to documents. Insurance information, medical cards, and powers of attorney. It all matters when time is short.
Now I keep a folder in a safe place with copies of things my family might need: IDs, prescriptions, medical information, and even bank contacts. A fireproof safe or fireproof folders are ideal, but I also tell my husband exactly where it is. There is no sense in organizing if no one else knows how to find it.
Share Health Information
I have a list of my medications and allergies with me in my purse, and my daughter has a copy as well. Phones now let you set up an emergency medical ID that first responders can access even if your phone is locked. It takes a few minutes to fill out, and it could make a difference if you are unable to speak for yourself.
Click here for directions on how to set up the emergency medical ID on an Iphone if you have one.
If you take several prescriptions or see multiple doctors, give someone you trust a list. When stress is high, small details are easily forgotten.
Talk About Financial Safety
Financial scams target older adults, like us, constantly. Teaching your loved ones to slow down and double-check before sending money is critical.
My husband and I agreed that we will never move money, send gift cards, or share account details based on a call, text, or email. If we are ever unsure, we call the company back on a number we know is real.
Passwords and Technology
Everything requires a password, and I don’t want my loved ones locked out if something happens to me. At a minimum, your spouse or adult child should know how to get into your phone, email, and bank accounts if necessary.
I keep a written list in a safe place along with instructions for my phone and email. Password managers are great if you are comfortable with them, but even an old-fashioned list is better than leaving people in the dark.
If you’re looking for a book to keep all of your passwords in one place, you may want to try this one for under $20!
An Emergency Call List
When something happens, time is everything. Create a simple contact tree that lists who should be called first, second, and third. For example, if you are unwell and cannot call for help yourself, your spouse may call one child, who then calls siblings and extended family.
This keeps communication clear and avoids confusion. You don’t want important information to get lost or for family members to hear different versions of the same story.
Have a Plan for Natural Disasters
Depending on where you live, this could mean hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, or earthquakes. Talk with your family about what to do if you need to evacuate or shelter in place.
Keep an emergency bag with basics like water, nonperishable food, medications, flashlights, and a phone charger. Know where you will go if you cannot stay in your home. Even if you never need it, having a plan will help everyone feel more secure.
A Few Final Thoughts
Preparing for scams, emergencies, and the unexpected isn’t exactly cocktail-party conversation, but ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. I’d much rather spend my time thinking about shoes or lipstick shades, but the truth is, having a plan keeps me calmer.
These little safeguards don’t take long, and they could spare my family from a whole lot of chaos one day. I’d rather roll my eyes at yet another scam text than scramble in a crisis. What about you…are you already set up, or is this one of those “I’ll get around to it” things on your list?
My daughter is in charge of my will. I have a secret binder with everything she will need when I expire. Every time I get new information I think will help her I file it in a folder then transfer to the binder 2x a year. Only she knows where the binder is.
I feel she will find everything when my time is up. I am only 71 so a lot more years of keeping that binder up to date.
Thanks for all your tips and reminders! Very useful !
You’ll have fun checking them out
Jennifer, this is such an excellent post. I’m just back from vacation and catching up! I love the family code word idea and I have also received the type of scam emails you are showing and then some. I also was almost scammed out of money from a phone call posing as one of my credit card banks. The caller had all my information and I mean ALL of it! Very scary!
Going along with the list of emergency contacts, medical etc. I would add a “ready bag” for an unexpected hospital stay. One week before we were due to leave on vacation, I found myself in the ER. To make a long story short, I unexpectedly had to stay over for 2 nights. My poor husband, who drove me to the ER, had to go home and bring things back that I needed. My needed items were all over the house, so I actually had to text him the list (so he would have it in writing rather than trying to remember)and the location of everything to gather for me! I realized that having a bag packed with a few key items would have really helped. I’m going to do this for both of us. Mine will contain, light lounge wear such as a t-shirt and drawstring pants to wear as pajamas, a sweater or sweatshirt because it’s usually freezing in the hospital, toothbrush & toothpaste, eye make-up remover, cotton balls, hair remover, deodorant, brush/comb, phone charger and possibly a change of clothes/underwear to come home in. A spouse or child could grab this in a pinch. Hope it doesn’t happen again, but being prepared brings peace of mind as you say. My son who is in his 30’s also had a hospital emergency this summer, and a friend of his had to go to his apartment and hunt for things he needed. A pre-packed bag would have helped him too! Anyway, thanks for a wonderful post.
That’s a brilliant idea. I need to have a bag ready to go too.
My go-to is my book styled annual calendar to list webpage, username, password including purpose and if it’s a subscription. For the first two weeks of the year I revisit it to change or
delete my links. My purpose each year is shorten the list.
Great advice! Golly, it seems like every day scammers come up with more ways to get at us.
The scam about tax abatements is driving me crazy and they call my cell phone. I have been doing block and report junk then deleting the call. I have an iPad and iPhone. The texts I have deleted. I want to block all calls except on my contacts list but can’t seem to be able to get to it since all of the updates. Emails, I delete. I am going to start the family code word. We have a huge family, blended and in different states so many of your ideas and many comments will help us. Thank you so much all!
Thank you for this list and information. The older I get the more I need this information. I am currently learning how to block callers from strange numbers on my phone. I have been inundated with spam calls. Blocking has been so helpful!
This is such good advice Jennifer – I so appreciate it!
Well done Jennifer. don’t forget to include pets in the planning process.
Thank you for sharing your valuable information! You not only help us to look our best but to live our best life!Lucy
Jennifer, many thanks for this valuable information. However, I must add, the photo that accompanies this email of you in the red sweater with a “red lippy” is amazing and I think it truly shows the “real you,” an incredible, powerful, fascinating woman, coming through! ❤️
Wow, that’s so kind, thanks!
This information is so important. Everyone needs to be informed about how to keep their information safe. My employer has provided training for all employees regarding email scams in particular, and over all Internet safety. Thanks for sharing this essential information.
I just received the Amazon scam email today. I went to Amazon and googled items I purchased with safety recalls and, of course, nothing popped up. Thank you for your diligence in educating us!
That was a very important and useful column. Lots of great ideas and reminders if we haven’t done of those things yet. I particularly liked the idea of a family code name in case of emergency or suspicious activity. Thank you.
I had my Amazon account hacked and they ordered an Apple computer. Very quickly my account was shut down and deleted. I had to change my email, and put it in my husbands name. I lost all my past history but they caught it. Another I always get is a bank fraud FaceTime phone call telling me someone is using my account. Banks don’t do that. They promise to get you your money back through Venmo. Be careful. As far as your alerts I get the same ones. 🥰
That’s awful Connie! I have double authentication to log into my Amazon account. I hope that helps.
Excellent info….thx for reminders. And examples were helpful.
Your new glasses are sooo flattering. Love that sweater. And please share your new hair routine, products. It sure looks good.
That picture of you is absolutely stunning. Not on topic, but I just had to say so.
Thank you!
Apple has a form you can complete to give one person access to all your Apple devices in the event of your death or incapacity. I’ve given that access to my son so that he can use any of my contacts and other information he may need without needing my passwords.
I didn’t know that. Thanks Ruth.
I forward scam e-mails to the phishing department of the organizations – or print copy off and send to a company’s fraud department – also send printed copy to our govt fraud department that does investigations of scams. Company’s want to get on top of scam e-mails.
Hello!
This comment doesn’t have anything to do with scams; however I have to tell you….after your Gap fitting room try on I ordered the brown “cashmere like” wide leg pants. I have to say when I took them out of the pkg yesterday I thought, oh I didn’t know they’d be like sweatpants! But tried them on and I love them! The petite is the perfect length and they look so polished. I can hardly wait for the weather to get cool enough to start wearing them. So, thank you. I don’t think I would have picked these up in a store to try on (don’t know how many years it’s been since visiting a Gap store) but now I will once in a while. Just one more reason why I so enjoy your fitting room try ons.
I’m so happy top hear that! I was delighted at what I found in the Gap.
Thank you for all the useful information! I get spam email daily and texts often. ☹️
You look great in the red and those eye glasses!!
What an important post! Thank you! I’m in my late 70s and so far have been okay. But you reminded me that I need to share our ‘family word’ with my grandkids now that they’re young adults. And maybe my sister too since I’m a widow. You just can’t be too careful these days!
A classic scam to me is an urgent message I get about an account or service -Netflix, Amazon, Paypal…- coming to me via Text message or an email address that is not the email address I use for that account.
Just the other day I got a text from “Social Security” with a scary message about my account. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t text message when I deal with Social Security. That’s an automatic “delete now” for me.
Exactly, Rose
These are excellent solutions to the scam problem. Thank you for posting. I love your clear glasses frames. Where are they from? I’m looking for a new style.
These are Peepers from here.
Hi Jennifer – This is a great reminder for all of us – the scammers are relentless. Too bad they don’t put their energy toward getting an honest job. The other thing I do is report the scam email or text – either to the company they are misrepresenting, or the FTC. I don’t know if it does anything but it certainly makes me feel a little better.
lol, yes they could get a job. Imagine that!
Jennifer, these are great tips! And speaking of password logbooks, peterpauper.com offers them in some nice designs and colors for $8.99!
Such great reminders. I attended a seminar recently and their advice to slow down and even walk away from your computer for a break if you feel unsure. Think if it like when you 1st learned to drive. Go slow and be extra cautious. But if you happen to fall victim, just lock down everything as you’ve suggested. All our info is on the dark web for a cheap price anyway.
You look fabulous in your photo today!!
The dark web is a scary place for sure. Is anything private anymore?
A family code word is a great idea and worked for us. My mother was called by someone pretending to be my daughter, saying she was in jail and needed bail money. My mother said it did sound like my daughter. She asked the person for our code word and the person promptly hung up!
Thank You for a very comprehensive article. I get all those scam texts and emails that you highlighted. Straight to delete and junk. Sometimes I’ll forward to Amazon fraud, but I always hover over sender and find the strangest email addresses…..
Yes I’d rather talk fashion & make-up. Your hair looks great with the side part…
Jennifer: Excellent post. I would add the need to keep your information/lists/documents current — especially Medical Directives. Selective individuals may no longer be cognitively able to make the decisions on your behalf, especially as we all age.
Thank you. Very helpful tips. Off topic, the red sweater & red lip in your photo are very flattering. As is your hair style and clear frames. Stunning!
Thanks!
Thank you so much for this important message! I have seen these before on my computer and phone. Wish they would just go away! Have a safe day!
Jennifer,
Much gratitude is being sent for your efforts to try and prepare your followers for hazards and concerns that unfortunately many of us have been and will be subjected to in our lives. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
Carolyn
I liked that you gave us examples of scams. I don’t get many on my cell phone but we still have a land line and we plenty of spam on it. My husband is still working as a CPA and he gets texts and emails daily with all this junk. He’s taught me a lot about safety. We do need a family plan though. Thanks for laying all that out. So important!
Thank you for this very informative and helpful email. Now I have a plan of action to follow!
So helpful! Thank you.
You look so pretty in that red! Would you please share the lip color you’re wearing? It’s perfect with your sweater. Thanks!
It’s a combination of lip stain and pencil topped with this lipstick in Wild Rose…which looks red on me.
This is a fantastic list. I have already done most of the things you recommend for online safety, but hadn’t considered the idea of a family code word or contact tree. I am heading out for a long awaited overseas trip and I am going to put these into practice before I leave.
Good idea! Have a fun trip
Good info Jennifer! I would caution against clicking on anything that seems suspicious such as you clicked on the sender’s email address. My husband was a network engineer for a major hospital and he drummed that into me decades ago. Just delete!
I did not click as in “open”, I touch the senders name which reveals their email address. Nothing opens or links.
Thanks for this helpful info. AI, copying voices, is pretty scary. I’ve had dozens of the icloud emails and now I’m getting scam emails from “AAA”. The one supposedly from Amazon is really scary for those of use who order from them. We need to be super cautious every day!
Thank you great advice! Plus I love your red sweater.
Thank you for this Jennifer. We do many of the same things in our home that you describe here, but I always learn something of value in your posts. I subscribe to several other blogs but don’t read yours first. I save it for last, like dessert after dinner. 🙂
I’ve received what I believe are scam emails from Talbots announcing a warehouse sale with ridiculously low prices. I cross checked the authentic Talbots site and didn’t see anything. It made me super cautious about exceptional promotions – and scams.
Thank you Jennifer!
A lot of what you said hits home. My husband and I are the same age group as you and retired. The last couple of years seems like every couple of months we get calls from Lifelock. Also calls from financial institutions, luckily Lifelock works and we always check with the place that we supposably got calls from. It’s annoying because we figure it’s just scams but the one you don’t check on is the one. Did I also mention it happens when we’re on a trip. Everything you said is so TRUE, in this day and age you can’t be to careful with your personal bussiness. Like you said before we have to watch out for our health because it’s our job, same for our finances.
That was an excellent, thorough review of best practices.
We keep our Passwords in an Excel spreadsheet….easy to update and then I print out a copy and tuck into a drawer in our little safe.
We also have what my dad called “The Black Book”. It’s got everything in there that family would need in the event that the two of us die at the same time. Insurance policies, wills & trust documents, credit cards, bank accounts, burial plans, military records (for burial at National cemetery, etc). The two oldest of our combined children each have a copy, and know what to do in the event of……
Makes for peace of mind…theirs and ours.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing Laurie
Thank you for reminders in this post! I recently heard of a friend’s friend who seemed in good health found dead in her garden by her husband, and he is in shock and lost now like a deer in headlights. He depended on her for so much and now the questions flow.
I am starting as well to put these all in order so my husband and children will have access anything they need about me and my wishes. Not always a comfortable talk but a needed one for sure. Blessings to you always, I love your style!
Mary P. Lebanon, NH
This is such an important post. So very relevant. I especially like the idea of setting up a safe word either family members especially for group texts etc. Thank you for caring.
We need to help and care for each other!
Thanks, Jennifer; some excellent information! This is going directly into my “Well Styled Life” folder for future reference. These days you really can’t be too careful and some of those scam emails really are convincing.
These are scams I haven’t seen yet – especially the Amazon recall! I have friends who were to the point of calling a relative for an emergency loan because a ‘grandchild’ was involved in an accident and needed bail money. They figured it out just in time. Another got a call from ‘Homeland Security’ saying her bank account was compromised and being used to launder money and buy drugs. They gave her an incident number, a badge number, etc. She gave them the name of her bank before warning bells went off. Luckily that’s the only info they got. Thank you for the heads up!
Oh no! We have to really be on our toes.
Thank you for this advice! I have yet to fall for a scam, but you gave me a few more ideas to implement. One thing I might question, though, your recommendation to delete and report as junk. I had read the best thing to do is just to delete. If you report as junk they just switch to another phone to make the call. Then they know your phone number is”live” ( because they are just calling any number at random). One other thing I’d mention: my credit card of choice is American Express. They have even called me to ask whether I have ordered $900 worth of books from an antiquarian bookstore in England (no I did not). They even flagged a purchase of NBA finals floor seats that my husband has no idea I paid that much…….because it was uncharacteristic of any transaction I had done before. I only use VISA for small purchases or when the vendor does not accept Amex. And their help desk is open 24/7.
I’m talking about text scams. Labeling a TEXT as “junk” does not notify the sender of anything. I don’t answer phone calls from unidentified telephone numbers anymore, so when it goes to my voice email, you’re right, they know it’s a live number.
Great advise! Thank you! Another idea is make a list of banks you have accounts with, your financial planner’s name and phone number, and any thing important including what you suggested. Give this list to a trusted family member or friend who lives out of town. Then if you have a fire, tornado, hurricane etc you have that list for yourselves and your family member also has it if they need yo help you.
Jennifer, thank you for the reminders. I have been meaning to set up the emergency contact on my iPhone and this spurred me on to do that.
Lots of good info here. I get spam texts a lot. One clue that it is spam is the country code of the number texting you. There are a lot claiming you owe a traffic fine.
Yes!! Lots of scams for unpaid tolls.
Great information Jennifer. Thank you.
Thank you for posting about this. My mother is a smart woman but she fell for a scam on a Facebook post last week offering a low-cost garden cart from a trusted business for filling out a brief survey. The link went to a site that appeared to be from this business. After filling out the survey, she input her credit card information to pay for the cart and it said it was declined. Her credit card company texted her to tell her they thought she had been scammed and closed her card. She only has one card and was left waiting for another before she could purchase anything else by card.
Oh no!
At least her credit card company was on the ball and saw the scam for what it was.
Agreed
Thanks, Jennifer….this is all very important information. I have experienced a few of these and thankfully didn’t fall for them.
Must tell you that you look absolutely beautiful in the picture with your glasses on and a red sweater. What a fabulous look!!
Have a great day!
Thanks so much. Have a great day!
Great advice, thank you for taking the time to remind us of this important information! Each and every day my family receives one or more of these scams and/or calls.
They’re so prevalent! It’s disturbing so have to be on our toes.
Thank you so much for reminding us about scams & important information to keep on hand.
Great post Jennifer. Thank you.
Thank you for this insightful and important message. The idea of a family code is especially helpful!
All your scam and safety suggestions are wonderful and make a lot of sense. I just ordered the password organizer. Thank you.
I’d like to share a caring safety idea my friends and I are doing. We call it checkers. We are six widows living on the same street. All late 70’s – 80’S. Every morning we send a thumbs 👍 to each other via text. We each take turns being a captain for 2 weeks. Once everyone has checked in the captain sends a text saying all is well or something along that line. My husband passed away from a brain hemorrhage in his sleep. If he lived alone he may not have been found for days. One of the other ladies in the group has Parkinson’s and fell in the middle of the night. When she didn’t answer on checkers we went and found her on the floor.
Thank you so much for sharing your group. I think it’s brilliant!
Oh, this is such a marvelous article on important topics.
I will copy it and pass it along to friends and some
elderly people who have been caught in scams.
You can lock your credit on the credit Bureau.
My information was compromised in a data breach, and then it appeared on the dark web. A few things I would add: I have Protect My ID to watch my information, and also my Capital One card has a service that does it. They have warned me several times of strange things on my credit reports, most recently showing I retired from an employer in another state that I never worked for! I also signed up with all 3 credit bureaus and froze my credit. You can still use your charge cards no problem, but if someone tries to apply for a loan, mortgage, or a credit card, they cannot do it, only you can unlock/relock it. The other thing is to schedule Alerts on your credit cards. All of mine have an Alert that is texted to me immediately when the card is used. So I’m not finding out days later if my card number was compromised, I can tell immediately. What I also learned from Social Security is you should check your Social Security online account periodically to be sure that no one is drawing by using your Social Security number for employment (I don’t work, so there should be no income for the year). Yes, this is all extra effort on your part, but believe me, you don’t want to find out after the fact that your information is compromised.
Oh no! That’s disturbing. Checking social security is a smart idea!
Jennifer
Thank you for the excellent examples of techniques scammers use.
I’d add blocking unknown callers on the phone. This can be done by going to “settings”, clicking on “apps” and then clicking on “phone”. If the caller leaves a voicemail, you can choose whether to return the call or not.
Also, if you do answer a call from an unknown caller, do not reply YES to any of their questions. Scammers record this response and will use it to your disadvantage.
Yes I have that on my phone too. Now I just answer from numbers in my directory.
Good morning Jennifer!
Thank you for such a great blog!
May I add one? Once my dad passed away, my mum generated a one page sheet of info which she stored in an oversized prescription bottle on the top shelf of her frig. Included in the info was contact info including names and numbers of family and friends as well as a list of her current meds and medical conditions.
My niece and her husband are medics and both report that they look in a person’s frig for such info when called to someone’s home in an emergency. It’s a great idea for someone living alone and it gave me piece of mind given that I wasn’t living close by.
That’s a brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing it Sandy.
This is important information you shared. I am thankful and setting up my safeguard now.
I read your email daily. I especially enjoyed your helpful thoughts on scams.
Hi Jennifer, this post is a great service to your readers! Thank you! While I knew most of this stuff ( I worked online at a financial institution), I expect quite a few people will learn a lot from this post. Checking a URL is a quick way to find out if an email is a scam. Small differences are often the key, as scammers aim to fool people who don’t look closely. And NEVER click a link if you aren’t 100% sure of the source.
You had several great ideas in your post, such as a safe word, and keeping copies of log ins and passwords in your safe. There is also a company called RoadID that keeps all your medical info on file. You can wear a bracelet, or tag that identifies you in the event of an accident. The tag has a code on it that first responders can use when calling RoadID, that will release all pertinent medical information.
Thanks for letting us know about RoadID, it’s sounds like a very smart idea. Most of us have health issues!
Thank you for your great post today. As a “senior” I am very cautious about everything. I do know, and I’m sure you do and most people do, that your banking institution has an email where you can forward directly to them the scam emails regarding false payments/charges. Also, I have been a paypal user since its inception and they too have an email where you can send directly to them these fake notifications of payments made to companies. And never answer your phone unless you recognize the number calling you. If it’s not in your contact list and they don’t leave a message, block that number as soon as the call ends. It gets worse every day.
It does get worse everyday and it’s exhausting!
What a great list of ideas with reasons why! Thank you!!!