SCAM CALL FRAUD

THE CLOCK

To end my senior year in Arizona State University’s VCD Program, I chose to design my clock, exhibit, and senior book on my social issue topic, Scam Call Fraud. This clock is an intimidating hook into my exhibit, demonstrating the personal exponential vulnerability scam victims face.

The animation starts revealing text and eye-catching icons, to tell a clear story from scammer to victim. Instead of confusion and chaos, the clock demonstrates organized manipulation. The clock keeps time with the red hour hand and smaller minute hand. The white hand rotates at six times every minute, representing the statistic that victims are six times more likely to experience loss when the scam caller already has your personal information before you pick up.

My goal with this clock was to show that scam call attacks are getting more and more personal. The animation follows a sequence of events that tells the story of scam call fraud, starting with the scammer and ending with the victim.

The Social Security #’s come in first, each one representing a victim being identified. These numbers morph into type that reads ‘I know who you are,’ and ‘I know where you live. Rows of type are highlighted to represent the statistics.

• 75% of all scam victims were called by scammers who already had their personal information

• 4 in 10 victims said scammers knew their home address

• 17% of victims said scammers could identify all or part of their social security number

• Victims are 6x more likely to experience loss when scammers have their personal information

• Most scam calls happen around 10-11am on weekdays

Once these victims have been identified with personal information by the scammer, their location is found and the red icons come in one by one. My clock shows exponential personal vulnerability as a direct result of fraudulent scam call attacks, and just how urgent the situation has become. When each icon comes in, a different voice is heard saying ‘hello?’ as if they are answering the phone. The voices begin to layer and muddle together into one vulnerable mass.

As the story unfolds, the clock tells real time. At 11am, the time when most people are called by scammers, Target and ‘ed’ line up to form the word Targeted.

A LITTLE TOO UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL?

Creating graphics for a 3D structure, while designing it to be viewed on a virtual platform, proved to be nearly impossible. Often times I caught myself re-printing my type to make sure the size was readable, and taping graphics on my wall to visualize how they would look in real life. However, approaching this project as if it were still 3D allowed us to stay creative with the ways we chose to communicate our social issues - all while staying true to the original, intended nature of the project. In order to host the virtual exhibition, it was essential all committees worked together fluidly.

The goal of my exhibit is to key the audience in to the personal nature of scam call attacks, share victim’s stories, and give the audience the tools they need to avoid scam call fraud themselves.

The left panel shows a close up, detailed photo of an older gentleman, with the title, A Little Too Up Close and Personal?’ Scam call fraud exposes the victim and pushes them into vulnerable situations. On the left are four signs to look out for that are popular among scam calls. On the right, is an interactive number to call and hear a sample scam, where you’ll be able to make decisions and try to end the call unscammed.

Check out the Class of 2021’s Senior Exhibition, Unmute here.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME.

The right panel of iPhones tells the stories of six different scam call victims. Henry, Miriam, Wren, Cyril, Page, and Christie all experienced a different intimidating situation, but all became a victim because the scammer found a loophole and took advantage of them. These stories bring attention to the many different ways scammers trick us, while demonstrating that you aren’t safe from scammers, no matter who you are.

TO CATCH A PREDATOR…

Knowing what to look for is the first step towards avoiding a scammer’s tricks. Predators never fail to take advantage of every situation and create a perfect scam to lure you in. Being aware of these four signs can help you avoid becoming a victim of scam call fraud.

1. Scammers pretend to be calling from an organization you know

2. Scammers will say there’s a problem or a prize you’ve won

3. Scammers will pressure you to act immediately before thinking

4. Scammers direct you to pay in a specific, suspicious way

The bottom of my exhibit panel shows a flipped image of a mystery man, the scammer on the other end of the line. Between the two photos of the gentlemen sits a phone, with the receiver hanging down to the scammer’s ear. This 3D element is a metaphor for the scammer listening in on the victim and learning personal information about him, especially when he’s not paying attention.

On the bottom of the right panel, 3D buttons emerge from the wall to give the illusion that the exhibit panel is an iPhone (with the curved edges). The accept button is highlighted brighter than the decline, to visually represent the urge to pick up the phone when someone is calling.

Front and Back Cover