Experiencer, Helper, or Observer: Online Fraud Intervention for Older Adults Through Role-based Simulation
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866911412830339072 |
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| author | Deng, Yue Chen, Xiaowei Liao, Junxiang Li, Bo Zou, Yixin |
| author_facet | Deng, Yue Chen, Xiaowei Liao, Junxiang Li, Bo Zou, Yixin |
| contents | 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. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_12324 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Experiencer, Helper, or Observer: Online Fraud Intervention for Older Adults Through Role-based Simulation Deng, Yue Chen, Xiaowei Liao, Junxiang Li, Bo Zou, Yixin Human-Computer Interaction Computers and Society 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. |
| title | Experiencer, Helper, or Observer: Online Fraud Intervention for Older Adults Through Role-based Simulation |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction Computers and Society |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.12324 |