Portuguese Computer Engineer Protects Her Avó and Other Seniors With Her Winning App Against Phone Scams

"I always wanted to help people. But this idea came about when my grandmother was scammed. I didn't have the tools to protect her. Now I do," said Rita Barbosa, (far left), according to RTP Notícias. (Photo by Diário da República)

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Her avó (grandmother) had been the victim of numerous telephone calls from unknown numbers whose objective was to scam her out of her money. However, with one call, she lost not just money (She bought four water filters for €1,000 each, when filters can cost about €20 each.), she also lost her confidence and stopped answering the phone, reported SIC Notícias (March 7).

"It affected our family immensely because, many times, we would call, and she was afraid to answer any call, for fear of being scammed again, said Rita Barbosa, 24, who described herself as "that granddaughter who went there every day . . . (yet) a computer engineer who felt powerless", according to RTP Notícias (February 22).

The computer engineer found her power.

Rita Barbosa won first place in Germany's largest artificial intelligence hackathon with a prize of about $70,000 (about €60,000). The event included 450 participants from 48 countries, who had 48 hours to create AI-based projects, according to NOVA School of Science and Technology (February 10). The Portuguese engineer created an application -- Guardião (Guardian) -- capable of blocking fraudulent calls and messages before they reach the mobile phone.

PSP Signed Partnership Agreement

The application is not yet available to the public, but it already has a partner with the Public Security Police (PSP) secured with an agreement signed by both parties on March 17, reported SIC Notícias (March 19).

An application that has "something magical" in the way it was conceived, the user does not need to do anything. There is no need to load, read, confirm or learn because the technology, based on artificial intelligence, does the rest, reported RTP Notícias.

The application analyzes calls and messages before they reach the phone, looking for patterns of manipulation -- urgency, panic, emotional pressure. If signs of fraud are identified, the application immediately terminates the communication.

"I always thought about people my grandmother's age. They shouldn't have to defend themselves alone. Protection has to come hidden, automatic, silent."

"My grandmother, when she was scammed, didn't even want to tell anyone. She felt guilty. Many people feel that way."

According to A Linha Internet Segura (Safe Internet Helpline), cybercrime was the most reported crime last year. In 2025, 358 cases were registered, a 44 percent increase compared to the 247 in 2024, reported TSF Rádio Notícias (February 14).

Lusa in Macau Business (November 23, 2023) reported that, according to the authorities, "the elderly continue to be the main victims of various types of scams perpetrated by the suspects" but, in recent years, "following technological developments and the potential of the digital world", the suspects "have been targeting other types of victims".

For now, it will not be possible to identify the exact origin of the calls because current legislation and privacy regulations do not allow access to this type of information, reported SIC Notícias (March 7).

The system also includes a family monitoring component, which allows relatives to view call history, alerts and any attempted fraud.

All personal data remains exclusively on the user's mobile phone and is never shared with third parties. The only information sent for external analysis is the phone numbers associated with potential fraud attempts, allowing for the identification of patterns and the strengthening of prevention mechanisms.

Register to Be in Pilot Test

Testing of the application is expected to begin in March in a pilot phase involving approximately 1,000 users. Registration to participate in the test is open at https://www.stopburlas.pt/.

When it arrives on the market, the application is expected to be available on the Google Play Store, initially only for Android phones.

Rita Barbosa knew, from the start, that she wanted Guardião in Portugal. She commented on the agreement with the Public Security Police (PSP), reported SIC Notícias (March 19):

"This protocol came from an initiative by the PSP (Public Security Police), who came to talk to us, and we were very happy to cooperate with someone who has the same mission as us, which is to protect."

For Luís Carrilho, national director of the PSP, security today is a "shared responsibility".

Nevertheless, the graduate in Computer Engineering from the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the Nova University of Lisbon also has ambitions to extend her project outside of Portugal, reported SIC Notícias (March 7).

She plans to expand it to other European countries. She wants to collaborate with the National Cybersecurity Center and establish partnerships with international organizations, such as Europol and Interpol.

The computer engineer, who is pursuing a master's degree in artificial intelligence at the Technical University of Hamburg, also has received an invitation for a possible visit to Silicon Valley, California, the birthplace of such iconic technology giants as Apple, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Google.

What would her grandmother say if she knew of her granddaughter's design?

The engineer said, in RTP Notícias:

"She would be very proud. She always has been."