Retired airline ad executive Barbara Hawkins says she and her friends are always being targeted by scammers. “I got an email that I opened up that was from a classmate of mine about a party, or some get-together,” said Hawkins. But that link turned out to be a way for scammers to get into her computer, and it sent itself to all her friends. “You know, to me it was an invasion of my information. And then to send it out to people who had been in my contact list that I may not have talked to for 10 or 15 years, and it actually sent it to them,” she said. So Barbara, her friends, and many other seniors picked up their pens and paper and rushed out here to the Singing Hills Senior Center in South Dallas when they heard Spectrum, Compudot, and other local companies were having classes on all things technology. “How many of you use email? You can raise your hand?” asked one of the instructors as she broke down everything tech, spam, scam. They walked through the basics of how to spot scam emails and what to do and not do when you get one. They even tackled how to use apps from medical centers and pharmacies to book appointments and get refills. “One of the most highly requested classes is digital couponing and online shopping, wanting to know how to save money. It’s one of the really critical pieces today,” said Jennifer Sanders of the Dallas Innovation Alliance. Seniors who didn’t have a computer were even given one, with a tablet and tech support from the folks at Compudot. We met Willie Halton, who was appreciative of the new hardware, but wasn’t so crazy about that tech support not being in person. “They’re going to come back out here and teach us old folks, how to use it?” she asked as they handed out the devices. The organizers made sure they got her set up before she left. While the promise of a free laptop might make us rush out here, the line for the new computers wasn’t nearly as long as the line of seniors wanting tips and tricks on how to use them and be better protected. “People come in to take the classes because they’ve been impacted, they want to know what happened and how not to have it happen again,” said Sanders Having that help on their level meant the world to so many people here, but Barbara Hawkins said it’s also about reminding everyone they may be older, but they’re never too old to learn. “That’s a lifesaver,” she said. ...read more read less