SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Online scams are draining seniors' retirement savings at an alarming rate, with San Diego County residents losing more than $130 million in just one year, according to the District Attorney's Office.
But two local high school brothers are fighting back with an innovative solution to help seniors stay safe online.
Neil Chandra started the "Stay Cyber Safe" project as part of his Eagle Scout requirements, inspired by his grandmother, who frequently asked him about suspicious texts and emails. His younger brother Rohan soon joined the effort, and together they're traveling to senior centers across the county to teach older adults how to recognize AI-generated scam texts and phishing attempts in simple, understandable terms.
The brothers are preparing to launch an app that turns their cybersecurity lessons into a game, guiding users through different phishing and AI scam scenarios with a user-friendly interface.
"We've had seniors actually contact us after telling us that because of our presentation, they were able to detect more phishing attempts and more scammer attacks," Rohan said. "So it's great to see that they can even reach out to us and let us know how much our work has helped them."
Their innovative approach has earned national recognition, including wins in military cybersecurity competitions. The brothers are now partnering with the District Attorney's Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit to expand their educational reach in San Diego.
Plans include collaborating with the local AARP chapter and establishing new chapters in North Carolina and Illinois. The brothers aim to continue expanding their workshops nationwide to help protect as many seniors as possible from costly online scams.
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