Why it works
Research shows training fades, simulations stick
ScamPrep applies two decades of behavioral research and a playbook used by the world's most successful companies on their own staff to strengthen defenses against scams.
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One-time education wears off
In 2024, a federal advisory group reviewed the research on scam-prevention messaging. The findings were blunt: benefits of a scam-awareness class largely fade within about a month. Attendees of in-person tutorials performed no better than anyone else six months later. People forget to put what they learned into practice and blindly click past pop-up warnings and red flags. One-and-done education is the standard response to fraud, and it doesn't work.
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Practice changes behavior
The same review found the most promising approach is letting people safely experience a scam (i.e., delivering training when users click on links in fake phishing messages). This works because it combats what psychologists call optimism bias, that sense of “it won't happen to me.” Sharing statistics and information doesn't break the bias, but a near-miss does. A University of Florida study sent simulated phishing emails to real inboxes over 30 days and found susceptibility was measurable, trainable, and predictive of real-world behavior. That's the ScamPrep model: repetitive, safe experiences followed by immediate coaching, which together lead to measurable resilience.
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The approach is proven at massive scale
Almost every large company trains employees with simulated phishing: fake an attack on company systems and coach anyone who clicks. It's a big industry because it works. But this approach has only ever been offered to office workers. The demographic losing the most money to these scams has never had a version built for them, until ScamPrep.
Ground-up design based on the research
The same research that validates simulation is specific about how to do it right with older adults: positive framing, no fear or shame; immediate, gentle debriefs; consent and trust as the foundation. We built those insights into the product's bones. Read our promise
Sources
- FTC Scams Against Older Adults Advisory Group, A Review of Scam Prevention Messaging Research (2024)
- University of Florida, simulated-phishing study in older adults, PNAS Nexus (2024)
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Annual Report
- Cybersecurity Ventures, security-awareness training market analysis
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