Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

ShieldUp!: Inoculating Users Against Online Scams Using A Game Based Intervention

Abhishek Roy, Narsi G, Sujata Mukherjee

TL;DR

This paper presents ShieldUp!, a mobile game designed to inoculate Indian users against online scams by teaching core manipulation techniques rather than specific scams. Grounded in inoculation theory, the study reports a large-scale randomized controlled trial (n=3,000) showing significant, durable gains in scam discernment (SDAT-10) for the game condition compared with active and passive controls. The intervention also reveals a transient rise in skepticism toward genuine offers that dissipates after 21 days, indicating no long-term erosion of trust. The findings support game-based inoculation as a scalable, culturally relevant approach to scam prevention with implications for product design, policy, and future cross-cultural research.

Abstract

Online scams are a growing threat in India, impacting millions and causing substantial financial losses year over year. This white paper presents ShieldUp!, a novel mobile game prototype designed to inoculate users against common online scams by leveraging the principles of psychological inoculation theory. ShieldUp! exposes users to weakened versions of manipulation tactics frequently used by scammers, and teaches them to recognize and pre-emptively refute these techniques. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 3,000 participants in India was conducted to evaluate the game's efficacy in helping users better identify scams scenarios. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: the ShieldUp! group (play time: 15 min), a general scam awareness group (watching videos and reading tips for 10-15 min), and a control group (plays "Chrome Dino", an unrelated game, for 10 minutes). Scam discernment ability was measured using a newly developed Scam Discernment Ability Test (SDAT-10) before the intervention, immediately after, and at a 21-day follow-up. Results indicated that participants who played ShieldUp! showed a significant improvement in their ability to identify scams compared to both control groups, and this improvement was maintained at follow-up. Importantly, while both interventions initially led users to to show increased skepticism towards even genuine online offers (NOT Scam scenarios), this effect dissipated after 21 days, suggesting no long-term negative impact on user trust. This study demonstrates the potential of game-based inoculation as a scalable and effective scam prevention strategy, offering valuable insights for product design, policy interventions, and future research, including the need for longitudinal studies and cross-cultural adaptations.

ShieldUp!: Inoculating Users Against Online Scams Using A Game Based Intervention

TL;DR

This paper presents ShieldUp!, a mobile game designed to inoculate Indian users against online scams by teaching core manipulation techniques rather than specific scams. Grounded in inoculation theory, the study reports a large-scale randomized controlled trial (n=3,000) showing significant, durable gains in scam discernment (SDAT-10) for the game condition compared with active and passive controls. The intervention also reveals a transient rise in skepticism toward genuine offers that dissipates after 21 days, indicating no long-term erosion of trust. The findings support game-based inoculation as a scalable, culturally relevant approach to scam prevention with implications for product design, policy, and future cross-cultural research.

Abstract

Online scams are a growing threat in India, impacting millions and causing substantial financial losses year over year. This white paper presents ShieldUp!, a novel mobile game prototype designed to inoculate users against common online scams by leveraging the principles of psychological inoculation theory. ShieldUp! exposes users to weakened versions of manipulation tactics frequently used by scammers, and teaches them to recognize and pre-emptively refute these techniques. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 3,000 participants in India was conducted to evaluate the game's efficacy in helping users better identify scams scenarios. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: the ShieldUp! group (play time: 15 min), a general scam awareness group (watching videos and reading tips for 10-15 min), and a control group (plays "Chrome Dino", an unrelated game, for 10 minutes). Scam discernment ability was measured using a newly developed Scam Discernment Ability Test (SDAT-10) before the intervention, immediately after, and at a 21-day follow-up. Results indicated that participants who played ShieldUp! showed a significant improvement in their ability to identify scams compared to both control groups, and this improvement was maintained at follow-up. Importantly, while both interventions initially led users to to show increased skepticism towards even genuine online offers (NOT Scam scenarios), this effect dissipated after 21 days, suggesting no long-term negative impact on user trust. This study demonstrates the potential of game-based inoculation as a scalable and effective scam prevention strategy, offering valuable insights for product design, policy interventions, and future research, including the need for longitudinal studies and cross-cultural adaptations.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 22 sections, 2 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Inoculation Theory & Scam Prevention
  3. Our Approach: Inoculation Against Manipulation Techniques
  4. Developing ShieldUp!: A Game-Based Approach to Scam Prevention
  5. Understanding Victim User Journeys
  6. Identifying Target Vulnerabilities
  7. Design Principles for Developing ShieldUp!
  8. Targeting Specific Manipulation Tactics
  9. Pilot Study and Key Findings
  10. Experimental Design
  11. Measuring Scam Discernment Ability
  12. Item Generation
  13. Item Condensation
  14. Scale Construction
  15. Key Findings
  16. ...and 7 more sections

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: Mean Scam Identification scores by intervention arm at pre-test, post-test, and 21-day follow-up. Error bars represent standard errors.
  • Figure 2: Mean Not Scam Identification scores by intervention arm at pre-test, post-test, and 21-day follow-up. Error bars represent standard errors.