“It’s very important for younger people to try and help out as much as possible,” said Anshi Bhatt, 18, of Virginia Beach. “It’s kind of like we grew up with technology in our hands.”
Frontlines Foundation offers workshops and other resources to educate elderly and vulnerable communities about online safety. The nonprofit organization is also advocating for stronger digital protections across the United States through its state-by-state data privacy legislation tracker.
Based on 147,127 complaints, the FBI reported that scams directed toward individuals 60 and older caused $4.9 billion in losses last year — a roughly 43 percent increase from 2023.
With advances in technology and artificial intelligence, online scams have only increased in sophistication, often targeting older populations.
“Everyone should be able to access technology in a way that’s equitable and fair,” Bhatt said. “We want to make sure that this is a problem that gets fixed as generations continue to go through school.”
Bhatt, an incoming Boston University freshman, launched Frontlines Foundation when she was 15, two years after her grandfather visited from India. While in the United States, he received scam calls and texts from people pretending to be the IRS.
“It was very frustrating to see how these scammers were targeting older people, targeting people whose first language wasn’t necessarily English,” Bhatt said.
Since then, Frontlines has amassed around 100 volunteers across eight countries, including Uzbekistan, India and Kenya. While the organization initially catered to older populations, it has expanded to include all age groups. Volunteers host presentations at retirement homes, elementary schools and community centers.
Frontlines Foundation Chief Operating Officer Nilufer Karahan joined the organization in its early stages. Now a rising senior at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Karahan met Bhatt her freshman year on the debate and tennis teams.
“I’ve been impressed by our volunteers, and it’s very nice to see our hard work pay off and see so many people being impacted by the work we do,” Karahan said. “It’s been very rewarding.”
Karahan and Bhatt led a workshop at Acclaim at East Beach senior living community in Norfolk on Thursday.
Resident and retired general contractor Bob Gerling attended the presentation out of curiosity.
“The two girls definitely made me aware of some things that I had already been exposed to and handled correctly,” he said. “Now, I’ll be more observant of them quicker than I would have been before.”
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Apply to be a digital safety trainee, volunteer or intern at frontlines.foundation.
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