What your child will learn
Identify the technical and behavioral tells of AI voice clone scam calls including urgency framing, untraceable payment requests, and "don't tell anyone" instructions
Classify short-form videos as real or AI-generated deepfakes by examining lip-sync timing, blink rate, face/neck lighting, ear artifacts, and scam hook patterns
Recognize the playbook of AI companion chatbots that use rapport-building, incremental personal info extraction, and off-platform migration to catfish young users
Apply the correct response sequence to each threat: hang up and verify on a known number (voice clone), report the video (deepfake), block and tell a trusted adult (chatbot)
How this mission works
A 3-scene interactive lab targeting the AI-powered scam vectors most rapidly growing in 2025 — and the ones no K-12 competitor covers. Scene 1: 5 incoming voice calls impersonating family members and authority figures (mom with a car crash, grandpa stranded, school principal, sister at a party, a fake internship recruiter). For each, decide: Comply Now or Hang Up + Verify. Scene 2: 6 short-form videos (3 deepfakes, 3 real). Examine lip-sync, blink rate, lighting, ear artifacts, and financial hooks. Mark each REAL or DEEPFAKE. Scene 3: A DM thread with a "new friend" who responds suspiciously fast, never has typos, dodges video calls, and incrementally extracts personal info. Flag the 5 inflection points before the AI companion bot gets what it wants.
What students actually encounter
"Honey, I crashed the car — send $800 to CashApp $quickcash882 RIGHT NOW." (Your mom's voice, but something's off.) — Comply or verify?
A celebrity's face appears to endorse a crypto investment, but they never blink for 12 seconds and the jaw doesn't quite match longer words — REAL or DEEPFAKE?
Your new Discord "friend" responds in under 2 seconds at midnight, asks your school name within 3 minutes of first contact, and just asked for your home address to "send a gift" — Flag or let it slide?
Cipher is with them the whole way
When a student gets stuck on Deepfake & AI Scam Defender, Cipher appears with a mission-specific nudge — no spoilers, just a hint toward the right thinking. Make a wrong choice, and Cipher explains the real-world consequence. Finish the mission, and Cipher generates a personalized performance debrief based on exactly how the student played it.
ISTE alignment
Students manage their digital identity and reputation in the age of AI-generated content, and curate information from AI-generated sources by evaluating technical authenticity signals alongside content credibility.