When Miray Kaplangi, 29, visited her grandparents in Istanbul, they would often pull out their smartphones and ask her to help them adjust their settings or check their bank balance online, small tasks that carried big anxieties.
Like many seniors, they had heard plenty of horror stories about people falling victim to online scams, making them hesitant to use digital banking, even though it could make their everyday lives easier.
It’s a trepidation many older people share as more of daily life moves online and as AI sends cybercrime into overdrive, with scams from romance fraud to phishing attacks now totalling trillions of dollars a year in losses. Estimating that more than half of older people globally have been victims of online threats, cybersecurity firm Avast says many still write passwords on a piece of paper and are more likely to click on suspicious links and share personal information.
Fraud isn’t limited to the elderly — in fact, recent surveys have shown that Gen Z is more likely to fall for certain scams than older generations are — but older adults have distinct needs around security, clarity and control. Banks and fintechs are responding with tools that balance independence and protection. For example, Greenlight’s Family Shield subscription plan in the U.S., with an optional Mastercard debit card, lets families receive real‑time fraud alerts and offers up to $100,000 in deceptive transfer fraud coverage.
Earlier this year, when Kaplangi, a Mastercard data and services consultant, recounted her grandparents’ anxiety to her Istanbul colleagues, they hit on an idea for how they could best use the time the company gives them to volunteer. By combining their finance knowledge and consulting skills, they could help their grandparents’ generation better understand digital banking.
They pitched the idea of financial literacy workshops for those over age 65 to a center for older people in the district of Besiktas. Just 10 minutes from the Mastercard office, the center offers activities designed to encourage people to pick up hobbies and develop new skills. After getting the green light, the five-strong volunteer team began drawing up a series of PowerPoints for their initial session.
When 25 seniors brought their smartphones to the first class, the Mastercard team members were relieved to know they had hit on the right topic but realized they needed to find ways to combat the distrust of online transactions many of the older folks had.
“There was a stigma toward mobile apps, like, ‘If I log in, then someone’s going to steal my money,’” Kaplangi says. “They were all scared and seeking reassurance.”
Starting with the basics, Kaplangi and the team designed visuals to walk people through how to register for online banking, set up secure passwords and biometrics and see their balances on-screen.
Next, they showed the older adults how to use their phones to turn off their payment cards, request changes to credit card limits and receive notifications when money was withdrawn from their accounts.
“Overall, the feedback was great,” Kaplangi says. “They said, ‘Our grandsons tried to show us, but it was never as detailed or visual as you guys have shown.’ They were hungry for more.”
More than just learning the online banking basics, the session was the first step toward integrating them into the wider digital sphere. Once they can confidently make payments online, older people can pay bills and use apps to have groceries delivered instead of struggling with bags as they shop around Istanbul, which is famously built on seven hills.
The project was recently recognized by Mastercard’s CEO Force for Good Awards, the company’s highest volunteering honor, and the volunteer team is planning to host regular sessions at the municipality-run center in Besiktas.
With fewer people over age 65 making payments and transactions online than any other age group, according to the Banks Association of Türkiye, there is plenty of room to expand projects that are carefully tailored to older individuals.
Recalling how one Besiktas participant had been the victim of a costly scam after using his bank card on an unsecured website, Kaplangi says future sessions will emphasize how to stay safe online.
Treading a fine line between scaring and protecting older people, the Mastercard team plans to highlight classic scams, show how to spot fraud attempts, and explain why password hygiene and two-factor authentication matter.
For Kaplangi and her colleagues, it’s rewarding to see the positive real-world impact of their efforts to help usher older adults into the digital ecosystem.
It’s also underscored why it’s more effective to give people like their own elders a big- picture view and help visualize their digital banking journey, instead of just tackling ad hoc problems: “It’s just enabled them to have confidence and convenience in their life.”
