Scamo Consumer Education Game

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

The Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs created Scamo, a bingo-style consumer education game, to teach the county’s older residents to spot, avoid and report scams. The interactive game lets Consumer Affairs teach seniors about scams in a fun, relaxed environment. Scamo was designed to be easy enough to play that staff at senior facilities would feel comfortable putting it into their regular game night rotation. Consumer Affairs plays the first round at a community or senior center, then leaves a boxed game set at the facility. This allows seniors to continue to learn important information about scams from sources they know and trust -- even when Consumer Affairs staff can't be there. Scamo engages audiences more than a typical PowerPoint, allowing for better retention of information. Players reported in surveys that Scamo taught them to better recognize scam tactics and gave them a better idea how to report fraud.