The problem
Seniors lose billions to scams, and scam scripts are engineered to create rush and panic. A confusing message can be hard to judge in the moment, especially under stress.
What it does
ClearCall is a scam-message checker built for seniors. Paste any text, email, or letter and get a plain-language verdict, every warning explained, and exactly what to do next — entirely on your device.
ClearCall checks a message against 12 explainable scam patterns: urgency; gift-card, crypto, or wire payment; impersonation of a bank, the IRS, police, or Medicare; the grandparent family-emergency script; secrecy; look-alike links; requests for codes, PINs, passwords, or Social Security numbers; fake prizes; arrest or benefit threats; fake delivery notices; too-good-to-be-true money; and generic greetings. Urgency combined with money or a code carries extra weight.
It gives a 0–100 score and one of four verdicts, from "Likely a scam — do not act on it" to "No warning signs found," with an honest caveat. Every warning explains what it is and why scammers use it, and each verdict comes with a verdict-specific "what to do next" checklist. It also detects reassuring signs: a legitimate dentist reminder must pass, and that is an automated must-pass test.
Built for seniors
Very large type, an A+ bigger-text toggle, Listen (read-aloud), Print, and keyboard and screen-reader support. Four one-tap teaching examples are also available as ?sample= links. The printed result is the product for many seniors.
Private by architecture
Zero backend, zero dependencies, zero tracking — the message never leaves the device.
How to run it
node server.js → http://localhost:4173. node test.js → 8/8 smoke tests.
Team
Solo: Rene Turcios (CloudCorpRecords), San Francisco.
Tools
Vanilla JS/HTML/CSS, Node stdlib, Web Speech API, print CSS, Tree/Muse fleet, headless Chrome screenshots.
Challenges
Calibration without crying wolf; explaining, not just scoring; and sequencing for stress and low vision.
What we learned
The danger is the combination — urgency plus an irreversible payment or a code. And the legitimate-message test is safety-critical.
What's next
OCR letter mode, a user-initiated share sheet, an FTC/AARP teaching library in English and Spanish, a phone-call variant, and an installable PWA.
Try it
Build Disclosure: AI-built. Built by AI agents (Tree / Muse fleet) directed by Rene Turcios during the hackathon period; Rene set the direction and reviewed; agents designed, coded, and tested.
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