Scam Ready ASEAN Comes to UNY, Kaizen Collaborative Impact Promotes Inclusive Digital Anti-Scam Education

The opening session also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Kaizen Collaborative Impact and Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta. The signing marked the commitment of both parties to strengthen collaboration in supporting digital literacy and security education in higher education environments and to expand its benefits to the wider community.

After the ceremonial session, the activity continued to the core session led by Rizqika Alya Anwar, Master Trainer of Scam Ready ASEAN. Participants first took part in an interactive game to build focus and break the ice before entering the awareness-raising session on the risks of digital fraud.

Participants then completed a pre-test via their respective mobile phones to measure their initial understanding of digital security. The session continued with discussion and experience sharing, in which participants recounted their experiences in dealing with various modes of online fraud.

One participant, Istiqomah Haryani, M.Pd., from the Education Policy Study Program at UNY, shared her experience as a scam victim. She recounted how she had followed the perpetrator's instructions without realizing she was being manipulated, to the point that the experience felt like being in a state of “hypnosis.”

A similar experience also came from one participant with a visual disability, who recounted that she had been a victim of digital fraud and lost her savings balance instantly.

These various experiences show that the risk of scams can be faced by anyone. In the education session, participants were invited to understand that perpetrators do not rely solely on technology, but also exploit certain psychological conditions to make targets make decisions hastily.

Through the Scam Strong material, the Master Trainer explained a number of conditions that can be exploited by scammers, including overconfidence, a high level of trust, mental fatigue, fear, and urgency.

This discussion helped participants see that becoming a scam victim is not solely related to a person's level of intelligence. In many cases, perpetrators use manipulation tactics designed to exploit the victim's emotional and situational conditions.

The learning was then applied through direct practice. Participants accessed the official Be Scam Ready platform and took part in the simulation game “The Journey of Be Scam Ready,” which presents various fraud scenarios based on text messages and WhatsApp.

Through the simulation, participants practiced recognizing suspicious messages, understanding when to stop interactions, and verifying information before taking action. Participants with visual disabilities also took part in the session with assistance from the implementing team.

The simulation-based approach meant participants did not only receive information, but also had the opportunity to practice decision-making in situations resembling everyday digital experiences.

For Istiqomah Haryani, this kind of education is important to start from the closest environment so that awareness of scam risks can grow collectively.

“The presence of the Scam Ready ASEAN program is certainly very beneficial and greatly helps us, especially to reach the smallest things first, such as immediate family, relatives, and the surrounding community. Many victims feel that this scam works like hypnosis that manipulates awareness. Therefore, let us, ladies and gentlemen of this beloved country, help one another in paying attention to the development of digital technology so that it is not misused for negative things that harm others.”

Through collaboration between Kaizen Collaborative Impact, universities, and various communities, Scam Ready ASEAN encourages the formation of a culture of mutual protection in digital spaces. This effort is in line with the SCAM Ready ASEAN tagline, namely Learn, Play, and Protect One Another, that building safe digital resilience must start from the willingness to keep learning (Learn), utilizing interactive and enjoyable educational approaches such as simulation games (Play), to fostering collective awareness to protect one another (Protect One Another) from various cyber threats in order to realize an inclusive digital space for all people.

Information about the program, community collaboration opportunities, and Scam Ready ASEAN by Kaizen Collaborative Impact activities can be obtained through:

Instagram @kaizenimpact_org or email partner@kaizenimpact.org.