The first thing we noticed in our research—and yes, you are correct—is that the technical indicators for being able to tell if something is a phishing email or a scam are incredibly difficult to see now, thanks in part to AI companies making tools that make it easier to make things look faster and slicker than ever.
The research we've done and that Toronto Metropolitan University has done has shown that teaching people about emotional intelligence helps—listening to their gut and thinking about why someone is trying to make them feel a certain way, whether it's giving them a rush or getting them excited about an opportunity. They are often preying on the loneliness epidemic in this country.
The biggest thing that can help our seniors right now is the 24-hour hold. I've talked to so many banks, and their teams know it's a scam, but a person has fallen in love. They think that someone they care about is in danger, and they need to act. If we had that hold—and it's important to understand it's opt-out only; everyone starts with the hold in place—we would stop so much of the most expensive fraud targeting our seniors.