Article by Gwen Jones, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2024 July)
Victims of scams are often thought to be older adults, assumed to be more trusting and less tech-savvy than younger generations. However, the truth is that anyone can fall victim to a scam, regardless of age.
High School junior Advik Atyam never thought he would be scammed. In his early teens, he put his technology know-how to use by starting an online business selling computer parts and shoes. He fell victim to a payment scam but didn’t realize it until days later. “When I got scammed, it was a turning point for me. I thought that if I could get scammed, I wondered how many other people could get scammed,” he says.
While Advik’s initial reaction to getting scammed was embarrassment, it quickly morphed into action. He began researching scams and as his knowledge grew, so did his resolve to help educate others about scams. He founded ScamCops, an organization with the mission of empowering vulnerable populations, especially older adults, against scams by creating a website with educational materials and scam alerts. He was soon joined in his work by his friends, David Nam, Nathan Kim, and Yousif Al Atbi, who employed their tech expertise to help build the ScamCops website.
Advik and his friends soon decided to expand the scope of ScamCops’ work by establishing a volunteer organization at their school, Fairfax High School. They created a curriculum to train fellow students about scams. After completing the training, students take a test to become certified as a ScamCop. Certified ScamCops are sent into the community to lead educational programs about scams in senior living communities, senior centers, and libraries. In return for their service, students earn volunteer service hours.
Through ScamCops recruitment and outreach at their school, many of Advik’s fellow students have taken a quiz created by ScamCops to test how well they can spot scams. The results have been eye-opening. Many of his high school peers were unable to recognize scams, demonstrating that younger people who interact with technology every day are also vulnerable to scams.
While expanding their service in the community, the four friends also introduced a sophisticated new scam-fighting tool on the ScamCops website. Using ChatGBT, the teens built their own chatbot to recognize scams, using information from reliable sources such as the Federal Trade Commission and FBI. Visitors to the website can use the chatbot to check if communications they received may be a scam. A user can copy and paste the content of a suspicious email into the chat and receive an immediate response with guidance about whether it is a scam and what to do next. The team updates the chat regularly with new information and checks it to ensure that it isn’t giving incorrect answers to users.
To ensure that the ScamCops website and chat serve their intended audience, Advik met with residents of a senior living community to test the website and chatbot. In addition to getting feedback on the website, he had the opportunity to meet and talk to older adults and hear their stories. In some cases, they shared their experiences of getting scammed. “Before, the only older people I talked to were my grandparents and their friends. Meeting with all these people, it hurts to see them fall victim to scams,” he shares.
In addition to learning about scams and building connections in his community, creating ScamCops has been a valuable learning experience for Advik. “Learning with the chatbot and AI (Artificial Intelligence) and building the website helped me get a strong start on computer science,” he says. After high school, he hopes to study computer science and business in college with an eye toward a career in quantitative finance.
In the meantime, Advik has big plans for ScamCops. Short-term, he hopes to recruit more volunteers and establish ScamCops programs in other area schools. Long-term, he envisions ScamCops as a national organization with a network of schools using the ScamCops website and resources to train students and send them into the community to educate and empower older adults.
You can learn more about ScamCops by visiting their website at scamcops.org. While you’re there, take their Scam Quiz to test your ability to spot scams.
Note: ScamCops received First Place in the 2024 Fairfax Area Student Shark Tank Technology Challenge. You can read more about the competition, the winners, and honorable mentions in the July 2024 issue of the Golden Gazette.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).