How Tejasvi Manoj is using AI to protect elderly from online scams

(April 4, 2025) It was a regular May morning for Dallas teen Tejasvi Manoj, who was sharing a ride with her dad when they learned that her 85-year-old grandfather had nearly fallen for a phishing scam. The teenager vividly remembers those moments of panic, seeing her dad on a call with her grandfather who had received a suspicious message asking for an electronic funds transfer from a relative. “I read the message and it was obvious it was a scam. The way it was written and the language, everything pointed to something being off. However, I was surprised my grandfather couldn’t spot it,” Tejasvi tells Global Indian. That moment she realised while she had grown up with technology and learnt about cybersecurity in school, her grandfather and older adults lacked the same education. The incident prompted her to find a solution to help protect senior citizens from online scams and fraud.

Tejasvi Manoj founded Shield Seniors

Empowering Older Adults Against Cyber Fraud

Armed with this mission, the 16-year-old began her research only to find that there were many older adults like her grandfather who were susceptible to cyber fraud. “I found that over 75 percent of senior citizens in the US were unfamiliar with basic cyber safety practices,” Tejasvi reveals. “In 2024, cyber frauds cost senior citizens over $3 billion in damages, which averages to $33,000 per person,” reveals Tejasvi, who understands that losing money at that age causes severe psychological and emotional stress.

Keen to make a difference, she started Shield Seniors to protect senior citizens from online scams, fraud, and cybersecurity threats by offering easy-to-understand guidance and tools. “The goal is not just to protect older adults from online scams but also to educate them so they can confidently navigate the digital world,” explains the student from Lebanon Trail High School. “Cybercrime isn’t restricted to the US, it’s a worldwide issue with few effective solutions. That’s what inspired me to start Shield Seniors, and I chose an AI and ML-based application to provide real-time assistance 24*7.”

Simplifying Cybersecurity for Older Adults with AI

Shield Seniors is a generative AI application, but when Tejasvi began developing it, she lacked the necessary knowledge. “I dove deep into research and took help from YouTube courses to create the application.” Currently, it’s a web-based platform featuring four sections tailored to make online safety easy and provide practical protection tools.

The “Learn” section explains complex cybersecurity ideas in easy-to-understand language. “It provides important information on the need for strong passwords, how to protect privacy, and crucial facts to remember,” Tejasvi explains. In the “Ask” section, a virtual assistant answers cybersecurity-related questions using generative AI. “What sets it apart from ChatGPT or Gemini is that it’s specifically targeted towards cybersecurity and older adults. Unlike ChatGPT, we provide crisp and short responses that senior citizens can easily understand.”

In the “Analyse” section, the users can upload images of text messages or emails to check if the content is fraudulent. “It will also educate them on why this is a scam and how to identify similar scams in the future,” explains the 11th grader. Meanwhile, the “Report” section gives seniors quick access to resources for reporting scams and threats. “We provide a comprehensive list of resources and older adults can simply click on the links and report the scams,” she adds.

Tejasvi Manoj addressing Senior Citizens in her vicinity

Balancing Two Worlds: How Tejasvi’s Love for Coding Sparked Her Entrepreneurial Journey

Born in California, Tejasvi moved to Dallas when she was eight. Growing up with software engineer parents, who moved to the US in the early 2000s for work, she often watched them coding. However, her interest in coding was sparked only when she joined STEM programs like Girls Who Code in eighth grade. “That’s when I realised how amazing coding can be and how much I enjoy it. Moreover, I understood the impact I can make by learning to code, and I instantly knew I wanted to pursue it in the future.”

As a second-generation immigrant, Tejasvi is proud of her Indian roots while being equally committed to American culture. “I feel a strong sense of responsibility to contribute to both India and the US in any way I can. My parents have always taught me to believe in myself and reminded me that I can do anything in America to help people,” she explains. Their encouragement and her entrepreneurial skills ultimately motivated her to create an impact with Shield Seniors.

The entrepreneurial journey was a steep learning curve for the teen. With no prior experience in generative AI, Tejasvi had to learn on the go, leading to several iterations of Shield Seniors before arriving at the final product. Moreover, she sought constant feedback from the senior citizens around her to make the app more user-friendly. “They had a hard time navigating through the earlier versions of the app, so we redesigned it several times to make it more user-friendly and visually appealing for older adults,” says Tejasvi.

Empowering Seniors: Tejasvi Manoj Bridges Tech and Tradition

The teen, who is a part of her school’s orchestra and plays violin, has plans to pursue computer science at university. She calls her parents the wind beneath her wings as they have been encouraging her to follow her passion. “They have given me the space to do what excites me – that’s the beauty of coming to the US as the opportunities are endless, and I appreciate it. Growing up, I was introduced to shows like Shark Tank, and seeing so many creative minds helped me build my entrepreneurial skills.”

In the near future, she has plans to turn the web-based platform into a mobile app for greater accessibility. “We’re also exploring a new feature to help detect deepfakes. The mission of Shield Seniors is to educate every adult about cybercrime and empower them to navigate the digital world safely. Our goal is to have this app on every mobile phone, so users feel more confident and independent online.” As AI continues to advance daily, Tejasvi believes that Shield Seniors will improve its ability to recognize scams and provide even more comprehensive cybersecurity education for senior citizens.