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

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.