Summary
SCAM AI is a European project investigating telephone scams (vishing) in Portugal to protect citizens against digital fraud. We are currently holding focus groups with older people and interviewing experts to identify how criminals use artificial intelligence to deceive people.
This project aims to produce a detailed report on threats and simulation tools that will teach the public how to recognise and block fraudulent calls in real time.
Expert Interviews: Technical Insights We supplement users’ perspectives with interviews with leading experts. We are speaking to experts in cybersecurity, law enforcement and legal professionals to dissect the modus operandi of the criminal networks that made over €65 million in 2024. The contribution of organisations such as APAV, academic experts, and regulatory and legal bodies ensures that our final report will have the necessary rigour to influence protection policies at European level.
Cybersecurity is no longer merely a technical issue; it has become a social and human challenge. With the rise in scams involving voice cloning and spoofing, RightChallenge is conducting intensive fieldwork as part of the SCAM AI project.
Listening to Older People: The Reality on the Ground We give a voice to citizens through a series of focus groups held in collaboration with parish councils and senior citizens’ universities. These meetings enable us to gather evidence on “relative-in-distress scams” and fake bank employees, which continue to victimise thousands of Portuguese people every year.
The Next Step: Vishing Threat Report All the data integrated at this stage will be compiled into the Vishing Threat Report. This document will not merely be a diagnostic report; it will serve as a blueprint for creating AI agents capable of simulating real attacks in a training environment, enabling users to practise their defences before being confronted with a real threat.
The SCAM AI project (Erasmus+) demonstrates that technology can and should be used as a protective shield for the most vulnerable members of our society.
Find out more about the project and how to get involved:
External resources:
"They left me with hardly any money in the bank": The human impact of fraud
An exclusive investigation into the devastating losses suffered by Portuguese families over the past year.
Telephone scams: How the new schemes work in Portugal
A guide to vishing tactics and new forms of manipulation that primarily target the elderly.
Fraud cases expected to result in financial losses of over €65 million in 2024
A detailed report by RTP on the record financial impact of cybercrime and telephone fraud in Portugal.
Judicial Police arrest suspect in ‘Hello Dad / Hello Mum’ fraud case
Official statement on the dismantling of criminal networks that exploit family ties for extortion.
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