Silver Shieldz
More of daily life happens online every year: banking, GP appointments, staying in touch with family, shopping, accessing public services. For older adults who didn't grow up with the internet, this shift can feel overwhelming and exposing. Silver Shieldz meets people where they are: patient, practical, and completely jargon-free. We don't assume any prior knowledge. We do assume that everyone deserves to feel safe and confident in the digital world.
The Scale of the Problem
1.83 million people aged 65 and over were scammed in the past year (VMO2 / Good Things Foundation 2025), with average losses of £4,000 per person (Independent Age 2024). Older adults are disproportionately targeted by phone scams, phishing emails, fake delivery messages, and romance fraud. The financial impact is devastating, but the emotional toll (shame, anxiety, loss of confidence) can be just as damaging.
More than 1.8 million over-65s were scammed online in the past year, losing an average of £831 each (Virgin Media O2 / Good Things Foundation, 2025). This isn't about intelligence; it's about familiarity. Scam tactics exploit unfamiliarity with digital norms, and they're becoming more sophisticated every year. AI-generated voice cloning and deepfakes are making it even harder to tell real from fake. The good news: with the right guidance, recognition skills improve dramatically.
What Silver Shieldz Covers
Every session is designed to be hands-on and practical. Bring the device you actually use, and we will work through real examples together and go at whatever pace feels comfortable. No question is too basic. If you want to spend the whole session learning to spot scam texts, that is exactly what we will do.
- +Recognising scams: phishing emails, fake texts, phone scams, doorstep fraud, and romance scams. We use real examples (anonymised) so you can practise spotting them
- +Safe online banking: logging in securely, recognising genuine bank communications, and what your bank will never ask you to do
- +Smartphone and tablet security: setting up screen locks, managing app permissions, recognising malicious apps, and keeping your device updated
- +Video calling: using Zoom, WhatsApp, and FaceTime safely and confidently to stay connected with family and friends
- +Social media safety: understanding privacy settings on Facebook and WhatsApp, recognising fake profiles, and controlling what others can see
- +Shopping online safely: spotting fake websites, using secure payment methods, and understanding your consumer rights
- +NHS and government services online: navigating the NHS App, GOV.UK, council websites, and other essential digital services safely
How It's Delivered
Silver Shieldz is designed as small-group workshops in libraries, community centres, sheltered housing, and places of worship: familiar, comfortable venues that are easy to get to. It is planned around sessions of about 1.5 to 2 hours, offered either as a one-off taster or as a short course for people who want to go deeper.
Facilitators will be trained specifically in working with older adults: patient, jargon-free, and clear that building confidence matters as much as building knowledge. Where it fits, we plan to pair participants with younger Coding Club members as digital buddies, so the learning runs in both directions.
Cost and Availability
Silver Shieldz is in development. We are working towards partnerships with libraries, councils and community organisations across the West Midlands, and towards first workshops in 2027. Being honest about the reason: our community programmes are funded by what Hero Skool, OROQ and SecuraLens earn, and keeping these workshops affordable for the people who need them matters more to us than launching them early and charging for them. If you run a group that would want Silver Shieldz, get in touch and we will put you on the list. Knowing who is waiting is what lets us plan.
Solutions That Drive This Programme
