The idea behind Scam Steps
Everyone deserves a place to practice.
Internet safety advice matters. So does having a chance to try it before you need it.
A suspicious message.
A moment of pressure.
A chance to choose differently.
Built around everyday confidence.
Scam Steps is a student-led project starting in San Diego, founded by a UC San Diego student. Our focus is helping older adults practice responding to scam texts, emails, calls, and websites through interactive situations.
We’re developing the experience with community feedback. That means starting with small sessions, listening carefully, and improving what doesn’t work.
Learning with people, at their pace.
Older adults bring different experiences, skills, and questions. Our goal is to respect that experience and offer room to explore, make mistakes, and build practical habits without judgment.
Some messages are real. Others are scams. Scam Steps teaches ways to verify requests and take a safe next step, rather than assuming everything unfamiliar is dangerous.
Help shape what comes next.
We’d love to hear from older adults, facilitators, libraries, senior centers, and people working in fraud prevention.
scamsteps@gmail.com