Maybe there is a middle ground. I could see implementing an optional router / firewall / telephony option for elderly that by default blocks inbound requests

Maybe there is a middle ground. I could see implementing an optional router / firewall / telephony option for elderly that by default blocks inbound requests from anything outside of their country by default and gives them a high friction way to make exceptions so that email scams are less likely to trick them into enabling trust to a scammer. Also blocking outbound to other countries. Perhaps even extend interfaces to make it ultra-obvious where calls are coming from and if it can not be determined, run the caller through an automated screening process that has varying levels of complexity based on a scoring system. This concept already exists to some degree within the banking system. Many banks already have the option to block transactions to optionally foreign countries. E-commerce sites do not like this option but I do not care. For example, I wanted to set up a trial account on a CDN that appeared to be hosted in the US. My card declined the transaction because their billing headquarters was in another country. I was happy with that decision and moved on to other CDN options.