I'm trying to help my 80-year-old mom navigate her email safely. She's been falling for phishing scams, and I'd like to know if there's a way to disable hyperlinks entirely. Is there a method to make sure she only sees text and can't click on any links?
4 Answers
Honestly, if I were you, I'd just disable her email altogether. What does an 80-year-old even need an email for?
If she's using an email client instead of webmail, check for options to strip embedded URLs or view emails as plain text. That can really help in keeping her safe from phishing attempts.
You can definitely disable hyperlinks by using an email client that allows you to view emails in plain text. Programs like Thunderbird or Outlook have settings to prevent HTML from being processed, which keeps those pesky links from showing up. Just make sure to look up how to adjust those settings for viewing and composing emails!
Have you considered using enhanced safe browsing in Chrome along with something like Malwarebytes? It helps prevent phishing attacks. However, it might be more effective to simply teach her safe practices, like never entering personal information online without consulting you first. Also, using a Chromebook can be helpful since it can be easily reset if anything goes wrong.
Would you suggest using an electric power washer to reset it? Because the petrol one is just too bulky!
This has to be a joke, right? Many 80-year-olds are still very capable and use email for communication! Just because someone is older doesn't mean they shouldn't have a digital presence. My parents are well into their 90s and still active online.