Right Challenge – Association is participating in the project SCAM AI – Simulation-based Cybersecurity Awareness Training by Manipulating the AI-Agent, an Erasmus+ initiative (KA220-ADU – Partnerships for Cooperation in Adult Education) that combats vishing (voice phishing) through innovative training accessible to all. Coordinated by the University of Saarland (Germany), the European consortium brings together Portugal, Turkey, Lithuania, Slovenia and Bulgaria to protect, in particular, the elderly and vulnerable workers against fraud that causes  losses exceeding €29 billion annually in Europe.

The Vishing exploits people’s natural trust in telephone calls, using increasingly sophisticated psychological manipulation techniques. Older people are four times more vulnerable, due to lower digital literacy and difficulty in assessing the intentions behind a friendly voice. Attacks adapt to local cultural contexts, national banking systems and even the ageing of the European population, but traditional training fails: it is passive, technical and ineffective at changing actual behaviour (ENISA, 2023; Europol, 2022).

Our involvement reflects our commitment to inclusive education and social innovation. We will test the tools in Portuguese communities, train the first national Cybersecurity Ambassadors and disseminate the results to adult education centres, senior citizens’ associations and local authorities.

SCAM AI is not just a training project: it is a collective European response to scams that destroy household finances and social trust. By combining cutting-edge research, accessible AI and behavioural science, the project offers practical solutions that will endure beyond the end of funding, through networks of ambassadors and open-access resources.

Please contact RightChallenge regarding local partnerships:

📧 dianaborges@rightchallenge.org | ☎️+351 225 372 769 (Call to a national landline)| 🌐 [under development]

#SCAMAI #Cybersecurity #Vishing #AdultEducation #ErasmusPlus #ArtificialIntelligence