Help Protect Your
Most Important People
DART develops tools to help people
recognize and navigate scams.
The Problem
Online Scams Are On the Rise,
Creating Losses of Over A Billion Dollars A Year
And so far all attempted solutions have failed to curb this epidemic.
Nobody is immune to being targeted by scammers, but financial losses from online deception for older adults is disproportionately higher than the next nearest age group. Given the likelihood of being less tech savvy, a higher degree of loneliness/isolation, and having accumulated some amount of savings, they make an appealing target.
The Solution
The DART Collective
Deception Awareness and Resilience Tools
We formed DART to help older adults recognize and avoid threats and scams to protect themselves and their loved ones. A collaboration between researchers, security experts, game designers, and community organizations, our tools and content are tailored to be accessible, relevant, and engaging for those most at risk.
How DART Makes the Difference
The pillars of our innovative approach
DART Academy
Effective Online Education with Measurable Impact
DART Academy is an e-learning platform designed to empower older adults to improve their online awareness, recognize scams, and hone their digital skills.
Through best-in-class instructional design and compelling up-to-date content, DART Academy users are immersed in realistic scam scenarios, naturally enabling them to identify suspicious activity in real life and better protect themselves and others.
DeepCover
Impactful Education in Disguise
DeepCover is a spy-themed game for mobile devices where players solve puzzles and navigate scenarios that inherently teach them about the terminology and tactics used by online scammers.
This approach – emphasizing gameplay over overt education – keeps older adults engaged and interested while not being overwhelmed with information, and also helps broach the topic and convey valuable info without triggering the very natural and understandable aversion to seeing themselves as vulnerable or incapable
We Can’t Do This Without You
Partner With DART
We are indeed a collective, and your collaboration is critical if we’re to make the difference we’re intending to. We’re looking for organizational partners who can help us bring this solution to the people who need it – retirement communities, community centers, libraries, adjacent service providers, etc.
There are many ways we can work together:
There are many ways we can work together:
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Be a DART Ambassador
Help older adults learn about and successfully engage with the DeepCover game or DART Academy
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Collab on Custom Content
Co-brand DART Academy for your organization and clients or get custom-created modules to meet your specific needs
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Workshops & Consulting
Bring in one of our experts to deliver a relevant workshop or provide consulting to your team
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DART Labs
Join in on research and developing new tools and programs
Meet the Team
The People Behind the Platform
Cynthia Stewart
University at Buffalo Center for Information Integrity and Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
Executive Director/Founder
Siwei Lyu
University at Buffalo Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering
Founder, Lead Principal Investigator
Anita Nikolich
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Information Sciences
Founder, Co-Principal Investigator
