Overview

• Manoj built Shield Seniors to help people 60 and older spot online scams, analyze suspicious messages with AI, get simple chatbot answers, and find official reporting links.
• The platform remains in private preview on a free AI backend, and she is raising funds to migrate to commercial AI and develop a mobile app.
• Her project began after her grandfather nearly fell for a phishing scheme in February 2024, prompting research into senior-targeted fraud.
• Coverage cites 2024 data showing nearly 860,000 scam reports and more than $16 billion in losses overall, with almost $5 billion attributed to victims over 60 and sharp increases in large-loss cases.
• Beyond the TIME honor, she earned a Congressional App Challenge honorable mention, delivered a TEDx talk, conducted seminars for seniors, engaged with AARP, and was also recognized as a TIME for Kids Service Star through a program with The Allstate Foundation.