For senior centers, libraries, churches, clubs & 55+ communities
A free 20-minute talk: Avoid Tech-Support Scams
Plain English, strictly educational, nothing sold — and every attendee keeps a one-page checklist for the fridge. Given in person by David Atwood, your local tech neighbor.
For your programming committee
What your group gets
Free, and genuinely educational
No cost to your organization or your members, no sales pitch, nothing sold from the front of the room. Prices don’t even come up.
20 minutes — flexible to 30
Tight enough for a busy activity calendar; happy to stretch to 30 minutes with extra how-do-I wins and Q&A if you have the slot.
Works in any room
With a screen or without one, any headcount, morning or early afternoon. I bring everything, including large-print handouts for every chair.
Warm, never scary
The talk informs and reassures — it never fear-mongers and never makes anyone feel foolish for a question or a past mistake.
A take-home that keeps working
Every attendee keeps a one-page, large-print "Scam-Proof Your Devices" checklist for the fridge — the 5 rules plus the STOP list, useful for their kids and grandkids too.
A monthly option, if you’d like it
Venues that enjoy the talk can add a free standing monthly "Tech Help Hour" — members drop in with a phone or laptop and get patient one-on-one help.
Minute by minute
What the 20 minutes cover
The full outline, so your committee knows exactly what members will hear.
0–2 min
Welcome — and putting everyone at ease
"There are no dumb questions in this room." If you’ve ever been fooled or almost fooled, you’re in good company — these scams are built by professionals to fool smart, careful people.
2–8 min
The 4 scams you’ll actually see
The "urgent problem" call or pop-up · the impersonator (bank, Amazon, Medicare, the IRS, even a "grandchild in trouble") · the prize or the refund · the online sweetheart. And the thread that ties them together: every one manufactures fear, urgency, or excitement so you act before you think.
8–14 min
The 5 simple rules that beat almost all of them
1. Slow down — urgency itself is the red flag. 2. Never give control of your computer, or a code, to anyone who contacted YOU. 3. Hang up and call the real number yourself. 4. No real company ever asks for gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. 5. When in doubt, ask someone you trust first. Includes a short, friendly role-play the room does together.
14–17 min
Two quick "how-do-I" wins
Making the text on a phone bigger (live demo), and how to spot a fake text in two seconds. Everyone leaves with a small victory.
17–19 min
Q&A — "what’s been bugging you?"
One or two live questions, answered patiently and in plain words.
19–20 min
Educational close — no sales pitch
Everyone keeps the one-page checklist for the fridge. That’s it. Nothing is sold from the front of the room, ever.
Who gives it
David Atwood — your local tech neighbor
I’m David Atwood, the owner of OC Tech Neighbor, based in Lake Forest. My whole business is patient, plain-English tech help for seniors and their families — in their homes and over the phone — so this talk is simply the education half of what I do every day.
A promise your committee can hold me to: the member is always in control. In the talk and in my work, I never ask for or store passwords, I never handle banking, and nothing is ever sold from the front of the room. OC Tech Neighbor is a new local service, so I won’t claim credentials I don’t have — and I’m glad to answer any vetting question you have before you put me in front of your members.
Book a date
Weekday mornings and early afternoons work best. If I emailed you, just reply with a day that suits your calendar — or reach me directly:
or email hello@octechneighbor.com
Serving Laguna Woods, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Newport Beach & Irvine.
Want a preview of the take-home? Print the fridge card — the red flags and our number, sized for the fridge.