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Abstract

Older adults face growing risks of cyber-enabled fraud, yet scalable, evidence-based prevention programs remain limited. Guided by Cyber-Routine Activities Theory (Cyber-RAT), this study evaluates the pilot implementation of the Seniors Harnessing Internet Education for Lasting Defense (SHIELD) Training-the-Trainer program, designed to prepare law enforcement officers and community leaders to deliver cybercrime prevention education to older adults. A key innovation of SHIELD is its integration of interactive game-based simulations, which allow participants to practice verification, refusal, and reporting behaviors in realistic cybercrime scenarios. Following the December 2025 pilot session in Boston, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants from law enforcement, community organizations, and program staff. Thematic analysis examined perceptions of training quality, instructional design, technology use, and preparedness to implement the curriculum. Participants reported strong alignment between SHIELD and community needs and viewed the curriculum’s practical guidance and real-world examples as immediately usable. The gaming component was perceived as innovative and potentially effective for increasing engagement and experiential learning, though participants noted that initial technical complexity and navigation demands could increase cognitive load and require additional onboarding and support for senior learners. Overall, findings suggest SHIELD represents a promising, theory-driven, community-based model for strengthening digital guardianship among older adults. The study highlights both the potential and implementation requirements of game-based experiential learning in cybercrime prevention and identifies priorities for future community-level evaluation.

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