Over the past four years, police crime statistics have documented a sharp increase in property crimes in the digital space. At the same time, AI-based technologies are enabling new forms of (online) fraud: for example, a daughter's voice can be imitated almost perfectly. In order to respond appropriately to these dangerous situations, there is a growing need for so-called digital skills. However, according to this year's Digital Barometer, one in three people in Switzerland lacks basic digital skills. The availability of these basic skills continues to decline with age.
These scams usually do not rely solely on technical means. Often, a human factor comes into play: the hope of finding true love, the long-lost granddaughter, or the fear that something has just been wrongly debited from the account. This makes it clear that the prevention of digital property crime is not only about technical skills, but also emotional resilience during stressful situations.
There are few offerings that take a holistic view of the danger posed by these scams. As a non-profit association, Dezentrum wants to focus on this and strengthen the digital skills of senior citizens with a suitable holistic educational format, thereby acting preventively.
