Experiencer, Helper, or Observer: Online Fraud Intervention for Older Adults Through Role-based Simulation
🤖 AI Summary
Traditional anti-fraud education exhibits limited efficacy among older adults due to its lack of authentic, multi-role situational training, which hinders the development of practical identification and response capabilities. This study proposes ROLESafe—an interactive, role-playing–based simulation intervention for fraud prevention—that innovatively incorporates three distinct perspectives: experiencer, helper, and observer, thereby transcending the conventional focus solely on the victim role. Through contextualized learning and behavioral intervention design, an experimental study involving 144 older Chinese adults demonstrated that assuming either the experiencer or helper role significantly enhanced participants’ ability to recognize online scams. These findings validate the effectiveness and novel contribution of multi-role simulation training in improving fraud resilience among older populations.
Application Category
📝 Abstract
Online fraud is a critical global threat that disproportionately targets older adults. Prior anti-fraud education for older adults has largely relied on static, traditional instruction that limits engagement and real-world transfer, whereas role-based simulation offers realistic yet low-risk opportunities for practice. Moreover, most interventions situate learners as victims, overlooking that fraud encounters often involve multiple roles, such as bystanders who witness scams and helpers who support victims. To address this gap, we developed ROLESafe, an anti-fraud educational intervention in which older adults learn through different learning roles, including Experiencer (experiencing fraud), Helper (assisting a victim), and Observer (witnessing fraud). In a between-subjects study with 144 older adults in China, we found that the Experiencer and Helper roles significantly improved participants'ability to identify online fraud. These findings highlight the promise of role-based, multi-perspective simulations for enhancing fraud awareness among older adults and provide design implications for future anti-fraud education.
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
online fraud
older adults
anti-fraud education
role-based simulation
learning roles
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
role-based simulation
online fraud intervention
older adults
multi-perspective learning
experiential education
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