Police and local government are offering a day of cyber security and online safety advice to older people to mark Safer Internet Day.

The virtual event is being held today (Tuesday), with a video for the island’s older residents offering online safety advice and a training pack provided to care workers aimed at scam spotting, reducing the risk of fraud and keeping older people safe.

Safer Internet Day was launched 15 years ago by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission, to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology, and has grown to take place in more than 150 countries across the world.

The Isle of Man Government says its commitment to Safer Internet Day is part of a broader programme of work on digital inclusion, which sees the Manx Government leading the British Irish Council (BIC) Digital Inclusion Work Sector.

A series of infographics are being published in support of digital inclusion, the second of which, ’Be Included’ will be launched today.

The Minister for Policy and Reform and ministerial chair of the British-Irish Council digital inclusion work sector, Ray Harmer, said: ’It can be daunting for some people to navigate the internet. However it can hold many benefits to become connected and included. No one should be digitally excluded.

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’We are delighted to be able to offer this invaluable free online safety advice to older people, their carers and families in order to build confidence in getting the most out of the online experience along with helping to keep them safe online.’

Further digital inclusion sessions and workshops focused on building skills and trust will be held later in the year to run parallel with the digital inclusion awareness campaign from working with the British-Irish Council.

Recent online scams have been targeting residents on the island, the most recent being last week.

Health Minister David Ashford said during a Covid briefing that he was ’disgusted’ fraudsters would try to prey on the fears of the elderly during a pandemic.

He said: ’These scammers are calling older people and exploiting the vaccine rollout and cold calling them, using it as a lever to try to get personal details.

’The behaviour of these people targeting some of the most vulnerable in society is reprehensible and shows them up as the worst of humanity, trying to exploit for personal gain the fear and anxiety of those most vulnerable during a worldwide pandemic.’

More details of the event are available on www.iompolice.im and at www.gov.im/oscia which has detailed advice on cyber issues and reporting points.