AI Scams: Educator & Facilitator Guide
For teachers, librarians, senior center staff, faith community leaders, and community educators. Facilitation guide for the scam simulator, discussion questions, and workshop design for older adults and families.
How to run the scam simulator in a group.
The simulator is most effective when facilitated — with pauses for discussion at each decision point.
Setup (5 minutes)
- →Open the simulator at cpai.org/education/ai-scams/simulation and enable Facilitator Mode.
- →Brief the group: 'You're going to walk through a realistic scam scenario. The goal isn't to see if you would 'fall for it' — it's to understand what scammers do so you can recognize it in real life.'
- →Emphasize: this is not a test. There is no shame in any choice. The scams are professionally designed to work on intelligent people.
Discussion questions at each decision point
- →"What would you actually do in this situation?" — Normalize the fear response before analyzing it.
- →"What is the scammer trying to prevent you from doing?" — Surfaces the urgency/isolation mechanics.
- →"What would it feel like to do nothing for 60 seconds?" — Names the visceral difficulty of the pause-and-verify reflex.
- →"What would you need to have ready, before this call, to handle it differently?" — Leads naturally to the code word discussion.
Debrief (10 minutes)
- →Review the warning signs checklist at the end of the scenario — ask which ones participants noticed in real time.
- →Introduce the family code word setup guide.
- →Walk through the verification reflex: hang up → call back on stored number → contact through a different channel.
- →If working with older adults: normalize the risk without stigmatizing. Adults 60+ are targeted more because they have more savings and are more likely to be home — not because they are less intelligent.
60-minute workshop structure.
Tested format for libraries, senior centers, faith organizations, and school parent nights.
Opening: What AI can do now
Play or read the Jennifer DeStefano story. No slides needed — the story itself establishes stakes without being alarmist.
The five scam categories
Brief walkthrough of the five types (voice clone, deepfake investment, pig butchering, video conference, AI phishing). Emphasize: all are documented, all are operational now.
Scenario simulation
Run Scenario A (voice clone) as a group using the simulator. Pause at each decision point for discussion. Use facilitator mode to surface the psychological mechanics.
What families can do
Set up a code word (have everyone choose one now, in the room). Build the verification reflex. Review the red flags.
If it happens: resources
FTC, FBI IC3, AARP Fraud Watch Helpline, bank reversal windows. Normalize reporting.
Q&A and takeaway
Leave with: one family member's number added to contacts, a code word, and the AARP Fraud Watch number (877-908-3360).
Framing matters. Stigma costs lives.
The shame of being scammed is what keeps people from reporting. Your framing determines whether participants call for help.
Lead with the data, not the vulnerability
Adults 60+ are targeted because they have savings and are home. Not because they are less intelligent. Say this explicitly.
Use 'professional fraud' not 'scam'
Calling it 'professional fraud' — which it is — reduces the victim-blaming connotation of 'getting scammed.'
Name the amygdala hijack
Explaining that fear neurologically overrides rational thinking — and that this is universal, not age-related — is clinically accurate and reduces shame.
Normalize reporting
Shame is the primary barrier to reporting. Every participant who leaves without reporting removes a data point that law enforcement uses to find perpetrators.
Use fear-based framing
'You could lose everything' is paralyzing. 'Here's what you can do to protect what you've built' is actionable.
Imply they should have known better
Phrases like 'anyone could tell that was fake' or 'you should always verify' implicitly blame the victim. These scams fool trained security professionals.
Educator references.
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