Calgary arts group performs with puppets to address cyber fraud with seniors

The Calgary Animated Objects Society is taking a puppet show on the road to tackle cyber fraud and phishing scams in a creative way.

A Calgary arts group is tackling cyber fraud and phishing scams in a creative and entertaining way—with a puppet show for seniors.

The Calgary Animated Objects Society (CAOS) is taking its unique performance on the road this week, visiting care homes across the city to educate seniors on the deceptive tactics used by scammers.

“We realized how pervasive scamming is for seniors,” said Xstine Cook, CAOS artistic director, following a performance.

“And we thought, wow, puppets have just such a way of talking about things in a way that’s really fun.”

About a dozen seniors were treated to the one-of-a-kind show at the Clover Living seniors’ home in Chinatown.

The play, called Phishing, is performed by the group Grey Guardians.

It features a crow named Don casting a fishing rod from a dock.

He reels in a big catch—a cat named Oscar, disguised as a fish.

“Phishing” is when scammers use calls, texts or emails to trick people into sharing personal information or downloading malicious software.

“So I built the crow and the cat, and they have, over the past few weeks, become their own little personalities,” said puppeteer Jennifer Bain.

For the Clover Living performance, the play was translated into Mandarin for residents.

“I understand that the puppets are just like performers,” said translator Tony Wong.

“They’re performing a show. And I guess I have to listen to the English, and then I’ll do my Chinese part.”

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, more than 23,000 Canadians have lost $544 million to fraud as of Sept. 30 this year.

Cybersecurity expert Tom Keenan warns that the simplicity of the scams makes them a potent threat.

“The cost to the scammers is essentially zero. They just need the internet and somewhere in the world and a way to take your money,” he said.

For Clover Living resident Benjamin Auo, the puppet show was a valuable reminder to be proactive.

“I receive emails all the time, and I notice the bad part of it, and I (don’t) pay attention and delete it,” he said.

“And when somebody calls me, if the number is not from my own directory, I just don’t answer the call at all.”

The group plans to be at other seniors’ homes this week.

“We have plans to do three more different plays that cover different topics of scamming,” said Cook.

“And we’re looking to develop a tour that puppeteers can go around and tour to different homes.”

The show Phishing will be made public in February as part of Block Heater’s family programming at The Confluence.