Backups, Legacy and Helping Family

Every earlier lesson tried to keep bad things from happening. This one is for the day one happens anyway. A laptop falls off a table. A phone goes into a lake. A virus locks every file. A husband who kept all the passwords dies. In each case the question is the same: what do you still have, and can the people you love reach it?

The stakes are not small. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) logged 1,008,597 complaints and $20.877 billion in reported losses in 2025. People 60 and older filed 201,266 of those complaints, with $7.748 billion lost, and 12,444 of them lost more than $100,000 (IC3 2025 report, as of October 2026). Lost money is one kind of harm. Lost family photos is another, and no bank can refund them.

Backups in plain words

A backup is a second copy of your files kept somewhere else. If the first copy is lost, broken, stolen or locked by a criminal, the second copy is what saves you. Think of a spare house key. A spare hung on a nail inside the same front door does not help when you are locked out, and a backup sitting next to the computer does not help in a fire.

The 3-2-1 idea

CISA, the federal cyber defense agency, calls the 3-2-1 rule "a trusted guideline" (CISA). It reads like this.

• 3 copies of anything you cannot replace. The one on your computer counts as one.
• 2 kinds of storage. CISA's example is a hard drive and the cloud. Two copies on two identical drives that sit on the same shelf fail together.
• 1 copy away from home. A fire, a flood or a burglar takes everything in the house at once.

CISA writes that rule for small businesses. It fits a kitchen table just as well.

External drive or cloud?

You need both, and each covers the other's weakness.

	External drive at home	Cloud storage
What it is	A small box you plug into a USB port	Space on a company's computers, reached over the internet
Cost	One purchase, roughly the price of a nice dinner for a basic model	Free tier is small. Paid plans bill every month or year.
Free amount (as of October 2026)	None. You buy the drive.	5 GB with Apple iCloud, 15 GB with a Google Account, 5 GB of OneDrive with a free Microsoft account
Strength	Fast. You hold it. No monthly bill.	Away from your house. Often automatic.
Weakness	Can be stolen, burned or flooded with the computer. Wears out.	Needs a good password and two-step sign-in. A lapsed bill can end your plan.
Ransomware risk	High if left plugged in	Lower if the service keeps older versions of your files

A gigabyte (GB) is a unit of storage. A photo from a recent phone is a few megabytes, so 5 GB holds a few thousand photos at best, and videos eat it faster. A family with years of pictures usually needs a paid plan or a drive. Apple lists paid iCloud+ plans from 50 GB up (Apple). Google and Microsoft sell more space too. Check the price on the maker's page the day you sign up, since prices move.

Test a restore

CISA tells organizations to test their backups on a schedule (CISA). At home it takes ten minutes.

1. Pick a file you can spare, such as one photo or one tax PDF.
2. Find it in the backup. On a Mac, click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and choose Browse Time Machine Backups. On a Windows PC with File History, search for "Restore your files with File History." In the cloud, sign in on the website and find the folder there.
3. Copy it to a new folder on the desktop. Open it. If it opens and looks right, the backup works.
4. Write the date on a sticky note and put it on the drive.

If you cannot find the file, you just learned something worth knowing before the disaster. Fix it now.

Ransomware at home

Ransomware is a harmful program that locks or scrambles your files and then demands money to give them back. IC3 received 3,611 ransomware complaints in 2025, with $32,320,105 in reported losses (IC3). Many cases never get reported, so the true count is higher. A home computer can be hit too, usually after someone opens a bad attachment, clicks a link or lets in a fake "tech support" caller.

Two lines in the CISA ransomware guide matter most for you. The first: "Maintain offline, encrypted backups of critical data." The second: many ransomware variants "attempt to find and subsequently delete or encrypt accessible backups" (CISA). That is why a drive that stays plugged in is not enough. The criminals' program sees it as just another folder.

• Keep one copy offline. Unplug the drive after each backup and store it away from the computer.
• Use a cloud service that keeps older versions of your files, so you can roll back to the day before the attack. Look for words like "version history" or "recover deleted files" on the service's help page.
• If the screen shows a ransom note, disconnect from Wi-Fi, unplug any backup drive, and follow lesson 09. The FBI does not support paying a ransom, and paying does not promise your files come back.
• Restore onto a cleaned or wiped computer, not onto the one still infected.

Photos and the things that cannot be replaced

Money can be refunded and a password can be changed. A photo of a child's first day of school cannot be taken again. Start with a short list.

• Family photos and videos, including the old ones scanned from prints.
• Tax returns for the past several years, and the papers behind them.
• Scans of IDs, insurance cards, deeds, car titles, military discharge papers, birth and marriage records.
• Your list of accounts and where the recovery codes are kept (lesson 03).
• Letters, recipes, and any writing you want your family to have.

Put the very important scanned papers in a separate folder, and keep that folder on a drive that is encrypted or in a cloud account with two-step sign-in. A scan of a Social Security card is as dangerous in the wrong hands as the card itself.

Old formats fail quietly. A box of CDs, a stack of floppy disks or a camera memory card in a drawer may no longer read. Copy them now. If you have no way to read one, a public library, a camera store or a family member may be able to do it for you.

Planning for the day you cannot sign in

The word for this is a digital estate: the accounts, photos, subscriptions and money that live online. Without a plan, a family can lose years of photos because nobody knows a password. Without two-step codes, they may not get in at all, and the companies often will not help. These are the main tools. Each one is free or cheap and takes minutes.

Apple Legacy Contact

On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, tap Sign-In & Security, then Legacy Contact, then Add Legacy Contact. Pick a person, then send them the access key or print it. After your death, that person needs the key and a copy of your death certificate. Apple says they can get data such as photos, messages, notes, files and device backups. They cannot get purchased movies, music, books or subscriptions, or iCloud Keychain data such as payment information, passwords and passkeys (Apple). Apple also says any one Legacy Contact can make decisions about your data after you die, including deleting it. Choose someone you trust.

Google Inactive Account Manager

Go to myaccount.google.com/inactive. You choose how long your account must sit unused before the plan starts, who to tell (up to 10 people), and what, if anything, they may download, such as photos or email. Contacts hear nothing while you are active. If you do nothing, Google says it reserves the right to delete an account that has been inactive across Google for at least two years (Google). That is how photos in a forgotten account vanish.

Password manager emergency access

The passwords are what Apple's Legacy Contact does not cover, so plan for them. Some password managers have a feature for it. Bitwarden's emergency access lets you name trusted contacts if you have a Premium plan (paid Families, Teams and Enterprise plans count too). Your contact needs a Bitwarden account of their own. If a contact asks for access, you can approve it, or it opens after a waiting time you set. A contact can get View access, which lets them read the vault, or Takeover, which lets them set a new master password and take it over for good (Bitwarden). Check what your own manager offers. If it has no such feature, write the master passphrase and the recovery codes on paper, seal it in an envelope, and keep it in a fireproof box or with a person you trust. Keep your phone's passcode with it. Without the phone code, two-step codes cannot be read.

Power of attorney and trusted contacts

These two ideas sound alike and do different jobs. Neither is a backup. Both are about who can act if you cannot.

A power of attorney is a paper in which you, the "principal," name a person, your "agent," to make decisions about your money and property if you want them to or if you cannot. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) lists it as one of four roles for someone who manages another person's money, along with a court-appointed guardian, a trustee and a government fiduciary (CFPB). Rules differ in every state. Idaho's rules sit in Title 15, Chapter 12, the Uniform Power of Attorney Act. One Idaho section, 15-12-104, says a power of attorney stays in force if the person becomes incapacitated, unless the paper says otherwise (Idaho Code). That is only one rule among many, and this lesson cannot cover the whole law. The CFPB site is a good place to read about what an agent is expected to do, and your bank can tell you what papers it accepts.

A power of attorney gives the agent great power over your money. Pick the person with care. A few points worth knowing:

• It is about money and property. It is not the same as a paper about medical choices.
• Banks and brokerages each have their own forms and rules. Ask yours what it accepts, and ask before you need it.
• Money problems with agents are a known form of elder abuse. If you are an agent, keep your own money apart from theirs, and keep records.

A trusted contact at a brokerage is a much smaller thing. FINRA, the self-regulator of brokerage firms, requires firms to make reasonable efforts to get the name of a trusted contact person, 18 or older, for most accounts (FINRA Rule 4512). Providing one is optional. The firm may contact that person if it cannot reach you or fears you are being taken advantage of, and to confirm your contact information or your health status. The trusted contact cannot see your balance or place trades, and is not a power of attorney (FINRA). Many banks offer something like it, often under a different name. Ask yours. It costs nothing, and it gives a bank somebody to call before a scam empties an account.

Helping an aging parent without taking over

Most grown children see the problem long before the parent does: the same scam call twice, a pile of unopened mail, a computer full of pop-ups. The best help is the kind a parent accepts. These habits make it more likely.

• Start with their worry, not yours. Ask what they would hate to lose. Photos, usually. Begin there.
• Sit next to them. Let them hold the mouse. If you do the clicking, they learn nothing and feel watched.
• Write the steps on paper in big print. Phones change, memory slips, and a card on the desk beats a phone call.
• Agree on the "call me first" rule. Any call, email or text about money, a prize, a package or a relative in trouble gets a call to you or to a second person before they act. A family code word helps with the grandchild-in-trouble call. Pick one together.
• Set up the safety nets quietly. Bank alerts that also reach you, a trusted contact at the brokerage, a credit freeze (lesson 08), and a phone number lock at the carrier.
• Ask before you take a password. Offer to keep a sealed envelope at your house, not to hold their logins. They stay in charge.
• Do not shame. If they were scammed, say so kindly and help them report. Victims who feel stupid hide the next loss. Lesson 09 explains who to call.

Over time, some parents need more help. Judge that by what happens, not by age. Missed bills, new strange purchases, a new "friend" online who asks for money, or confusion about basic accounts are signals to talk to their doctor and their bank together with them. If you see signs of fraud or abuse of an older adult, the National Elder Fraud Hotline is 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). In Idaho, the Idaho Commission on Aging and the Idaho Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division both take calls.

Talking to the kids and grandkids

Children and grandchildren often know more about devices than we do, and less about people. Two good rules suit every age.

• Nobody gets your money, your passwords or your codes on a phone call, whoever they say they are.
• If something online or on the phone makes you feel scared, rushed or secretive, tell a grown-up you trust. No one will be in trouble.

Teach by showing. Sit with a grandchild, set the privacy options on their game or app together, and talk about what a stranger could learn from a picture. Keep the tone calm. A child who thinks a mistake means losing the phone will hide the next one. The same goes for grown children teaching grandparents: be the person they will call at 9 p.m. without feeling silly.

Tell the family about the code word. If someone calls at night, crying, saying they are your grandchild and need money fast, the answer is: "Tell me the word." If they cannot, hang up and call the grandchild on their own number. Voice cloning software can copy a voice from a short clip posted online, so a familiar voice proves nothing.

A one-page household security plan

Write it on one sheet. Put the original in a safe place and give a copy to the one or two people you trust. Do not write passwords on it.

Section	What goes in it
Who we call	Bank fraud lines, card companies, the cell carrier, the internet provider, and the family helper, with numbers
Where the backups are	Which drive, in which drawer, and which cloud account. Date of the last restore test.
Main accounts	Email, Apple or Google account, bank, phone carrier. The name of the password manager. Not the passwords.
Where the master key is	Where the sealed envelope with the master passphrase and recovery codes is kept
Who may help	The legacy contacts, the emergency-access contacts, the brokerage trusted contact, and the power of attorney agent, if you have one
Our rules	The family code word. The "call me first" rule. Never pay with gift cards or wire money to a stranger.
First steps if it goes wrong	Cut the connection. Call the bank. Report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. See lesson 09.

A checklist by time

When	What to do
Today	Turn on a phone backup. Update your devices. Pick a family code word. Write the numbers of your bank and carrier on paper.
This week	Start a computer backup. Restore one file as a test. Add a Legacy Contact or Inactive Account Manager. Set up or check your password manager.
This month	Buy a drive and set up the cloud copy if you have not. Scan key papers. Name a trusted contact at your brokerage and ask your bank about one. Start your one-page plan.
Every year	Restore a file again. Check that the cloud plan is paid. Review who your contacts and agents are. Update the one-page plan. Look at your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Questions and answers

How often should I back up?

Phones and cloud services do it daily on their own. For a home drive, once a month is a start and once a week is better. If you just finished something you would hate to lose, such as scanning old photos, back up that day.

Do I need to pay for cloud storage?

Not at first. The free amounts of 5 GB (Apple, Microsoft) and 15 GB (Google) hold documents and some photos. When you run out, you can buy a plan or rely on a drive. Whatever you pick, keep one copy away from home.

How long does an external drive last?

Many last for years, but they can fail without warning. That is why the rule asks for more than one copy. Replace a drive every few years, or sooner if it makes clicking noises.

Is it safe to leave the drive plugged in all the time?

It is convenient, and it is the riskiest way. Ransomware can reach a plugged-in drive. Unplug it after each backup, or use a second drive that you swap.

What is the difference between sync and backup?

Sync keeps two places the same, so a deletion or a locked file in one place shows up in the other. A backup keeps older copies. OneDrive, iCloud Drive and Google Drive can do both, so read what yours does.

What should I do with an old computer or drive?

Copy what you need first. Then wipe it with the maker's reset option before you give it away or recycle it, or pay a local shop to do it. A drive thrown out whole can still be read.

Who should be my Legacy Contact?

Someone you trust who is likely to outlive you and who is good with details. A spouse is common, but name a second person too, such as an adult child, in case the spouse cannot.

Should I tell my children my passwords?

You do not need to hand them over today. Put the master passphrase and recovery codes in a sealed envelope, tell them where it is, and set the emergency options described above.

What does a power of attorney cost?

It varies, and the form and rules depend on your state. Start by asking your bank what it accepts and by reading the CFPB's guides. Do not sign a paper you do not understand, and do not sign one under pressure.

My spouse handled all this and has died. Where do I start?

Take it slowly. Find the phone's passcode first, then the email account, since email can reset the rest. Do not cancel accounts or phone lines yet, because you may need them for codes. Ask your bank and the phone carrier what they need to see. Ask a trusted relative or friend to sit with you. Lesson 08 covers protecting a loved one's identity after a death.

Hard questions

What if I cannot afford a backup drive or cloud plan?

Start with what costs nothing. Your Google Account gives 15 GB, and Apple and Microsoft give 5 GB. Use those for your most important photos and papers first. Many libraries, senior centers and family members have spare drives or can help you pick a cheap one. A drive in a friend's or relative's house can be your off-site copy: you swap drives when you visit.

Do I really need to trust a company with my family photos?

Not completely. A cloud company can lose access to your account, change a plan or be hacked. That is why the cloud should be one copy, not the only copy. If the idea bothers you, keep two drives, store one at a relative's house, and encrypt them. You trade convenience for control, and plenty of careful people make that choice.

Is putting my children on my accounts a good idea?

It can help, and it can also hurt. A child with full access to your bank account can pay your bills, and can also be pressured or tempted. A power of attorney, a trusted contact and alerts that reach both of you give help with less risk. Think it through slowly.

My parent refuses all help. What now?

You cannot force an adult to accept it, and shouldn't try. Offer smaller steps, such as an alert or a code word. Tell them what you worry about and why, calmly. Ask their doctor or a friend they respect to say it too. If there are signs of fraud or abuse, call the hotline or the agencies above. If they are safe and in charge of their own choices, their choices stay theirs.

Is it morally wrong to look through a dead person's accounts?

Settling their affairs is fine. Reading what they would have wanted private, when the job does not call for it, is not. Do what the job requires: find the bills, accounts and photos. Leave the rest. If they set up a Legacy Contact or left instructions, follow them.

Pictures, Numbers and Infographics

These are the figures used in this course, as of October 2026. Every number comes from the source in the last column.

Figure	Number	Source
Complaints to the FBI's IC3 in 2025	1,008,597	IC3 2025 report
Reported losses to IC3 in 2025	$20.877 billion	IC3 2025 report
Complaints from people 60 and older	201,266	IC3 2025 report
Reported losses, people 60 and older	$7.748 billion (about $38,500 per complaint)	IC3 2025 report
Older complainants who lost more than $100,000	12,444	IC3 2025 report
Investment fraud losses, all ages	about $8.65 billion, the largest category	IC3 2025 report
Ransomware complaints and losses	3,611 complaints, $32,320,105	IC3 2025 report
FTC fraud reports in 2025	3 million reports, $15.9 billion lost	FTC, March 2026
Free cloud storage	Apple 5 GB, Google 15 GB, OneDrive 5 GB	Apple, Google, Microsoft
Google Inactive Account Manager contacts	Up to 10 people	Google
Elder Fraud Hotline	1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311)	Office for Victims of Crime

The reported figures count only people who filed a report, so real losses are higher.