SCAM BOOTH
Let’s Spot A Scam and Stay Safe
Duration
6 Weeks
Jan. - Feb. 2022
roles
Research
Data Visualization

Product Design
Location
Union Square, NYC
Link
MFA thesis →
Scam Booth is an experience exploring the nature of phone scams and spotting the tricks behind them.
Playing the role of the scammer, you'll get to hear how scammers frame the story; playing the potential victim, you'll get to challenge scammers by avoiding falling for their trap.
content
This project is part of my MFA thesis →, in which I aimed to explore “how might we raise phone scam awareness before it happens”.
Aim
Experience design will help me speak more efficiently and intimately to this community, the challenging is to make them aware that the phone scam is more likely to happen to them. With this project, I want to create curious and shocked in my users, in order to get them talking about the experience of being scammed.
outcome
On April 2nd, 2022, I displayed [SCAM BOOTH] with my friends on the east side of Union Square, Manhattan with greate success.
During this experience I found the signs people learn vary from person to person, this allows each participants to create different scripts in [SCAM BOOTH]. And much to my surprise, [SCAM BOOTH] touched a nerve. Not only did we have a steady stream of participants, but people who passed by also actively shared their stories with us. Everyone who shared a story was very emotional, as the experience of being scammed is, clearly, deeply affecting. Many participants even let out a sad sigh after the experience, each scam scenario was distinct, revealing the variety of ingenious ways scammers trap their victims.
Furthermore, I was able to interview over 20 target audience and this that guided the design of my other thesis projects.
Approach
Why is this a problem?
New young immigrant are the most volunable to falling for scams.
Nearly 60 million Americans have lost money from a phone scam in 2021. Contrary to popular belief, younger adults lose money to scammers much more often than do older people. Deeper examination of this age group revealed that the average age of new immigrants in the US is 31 years, which is right in the middle of the young adult group that is most susceptible to being scammed.
Empathy map analysis
Key insights
Identifying legitimate and reliable sources of information is very challenging for newcomers to the US.
In my field research, I asked a sampling of young new immigrants why they felt compelled to truthfully respond to such calls with their personal information. Despite their better judgment, many responses demonstrate how difficult it is to identify legitimate and reliable sources of information in this unfamiliar social and legal environment.
Word of mouth is the second most effective way of learning about scams.
Scam alerts are often fall on deaf ears. A recent immigrant that I've interviewed said, "I never paid attention to scam news. Even if I read it, I wouldn't remember it." Inspired by this quote I started to research what's the most effective way of learning about scams. According to a study from Finra Foundation, news stories are the most popular source of information about scams, followed by word of mouth.
Opportunity
How might we design a more formalized but still interactively word-of-mouth method of obtaining reliable scam prevention information?
Solution
How does it works?
The experience requires two participants, one of whom plays the role of the scammer, the other, a potential victim. In order to simulate a realistic calling environment, neither can see the other, but both are allowed to speak different languages, as real scammers, like many of those they scam, are often multilingual.
Instructions
There are corresponding instructions in the scam booths on both sides. The participant playing the scammer prepares a scam script, which helps their understand how scammers frame their story. The participant playing the potential victim only needs to waste the scammer's time, which gives the potential victim time to hear the scammer flesh out their story and hopefully, figure out whether or not the source is legitimate or not. Scammers often become impatient with such callers, as their time is better spent with ‘easier’ victims.
scam facts
The infographic data shows who is more gullible and what Americans are losing to phone scams in 2021. By presenting real data, people will change their stereotypes about the victim group and bring recent immigrants' attention to phone scams. Most said they were shocked by the data's conclusions and asked why young people are more susceptible than older people.
PRocess
thoughts & Takeaways
First public show
During the whole event, I learned a lots different scams along the way and how other people spot scam calls. I am pleased that the public is very interested in my activities and willing to take the initiative to participate. But this was my first time hosting an event in a public space, and I encountered unexpected problems. I didn't consider the New York weather and handling issues in the design process. So on the event day, my model was slightly damaged during handling and almost blown away by the wind. At the beginning of the event, I was also a bit overwhelmed and didn't know how to get people involved. Next time, I will be more careful in the choice of materials, and I will determine the details of the venue first, and prepare how to guide passersby in advance.
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