DAYTON, Ohio — From seniors to elementary kids, scammers are targeting anyone online. Despite this, a grant, training, and the development of a gaming app in Dayton are attempting to bring about change. 

What You Need To Know

  • A gaming app called 'Cybersafe' is in development at the University of Dayton

  • A grant to UD's Cybersecurity Center is paying for the app development and training for officers 

  • Officers will be trained on how to catch online scammers and criminals on the dark web

Nikesh Chithambaram always liked playing video games.

“I love video games. I’ve always been into video games since my childhood,” said Chithambaram.

What he didn’t know was that he’d be helping to create one. Now a graduate student in computer science at the University of Dayton, he’s working to create a game that combats a real-life problem that he noticed even as a kid gamer. 

“Since my childhood, I’ve been receiving fake emails and by then there were no extensions to say hey this is a phishing email, this is not a phishing email,” said Chithambaram. 

Computer Science Associate Professor Tam Nguyen sees the issue too with his own kids’ devices. 

“AI can fake things and that’s very troublesome and very dangerous,” said Nguyen.

That’s why the two became a part of a team creating the gaming app called “Cybersafe.” It’s geared toward grade-schoolers to help them spot scams as they navigate the game. 

“He or she will try to watch videos, some short lecture, and then after that we will have some quiz some exams and we have some rewards,” said Nguyen. 

The app is expected to launch next year.

A grant that went to the University of Dayton’s Cybersecurity Center is funding the game’s development and funding something else to battle who’s behind online threats and scams.

“When a crime happens on the dark web, usually there’s an encryption there that makes it harder to be found…everything from child porn to drugs to illegal guns…that’s why I believe it’s important for law enforcement to understand that,” said criminal justice professor Scott Belshaw. 

Belshaw will be training officers to catch criminals on the dark web. 

Belshaw explained that people discuss topics and exchange emails, which can be traced and collected for future investigation. If an email appears elsewhere, it is possible to connect the dots. 

It’s all an effort to keep you and your kids from becoming a target of online threats and scams.