Individual Business Development case study – own project – 2024
Designing a cybersecurity companion that helps protect people from social enginering and frauds in 2035
The problem: social engineering is
the new robbery
Online fraud is now the most reported crime globally, with huge financial and emotional consequences.
In Sweden alone, hundreds of scams are reported every month – but less than 3% are solved.
Criminals have evolved from armed robbery to digital manipulation: today’s fraudsters use emotional pressure, urgency and false identities to trick people into handing over money or sensitive information.
Project goal & vision
The goal of this concept was to explore how we might design a cybersecurity solution that helps people feel safe and in control in a world where trust can be exploited.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
How might we prevent people from being deceived by social engineering or online frauds,
by offering them a cybersecurity service that restores their sense of safety and control?
Key insights from research
Criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using emotional manipulation and social engineering to bypass traditional security measures.
Customers are often left without effective support when they fall victim to fraud – not due to negligence, but because today’s systems aren’t yet fully equipped to detect and respond to human-centered manipulation.
Awareness campaigns help, but aren’t always enough in high-pressure situations where people are tricked into taking harmful actions.
There is a growing need for real-time, user-centered protection, especially for vulnerable groups or those with low digital confidence.
An independent layer of protection is key – Secure.Me is designed to work alongside existing banks, devices and telecom providers, giving users added safety without the need to switch platforms, services or hardware.
When insights become personal
Behind every data point is a person. To better understand how social engineering unfolds in real life – and where current protections fall short – there was a need to look closely at real-world scenarios.
Here are two cases that illustrate the emotional, financial, and systemic consequences of fraud today – and how the business idea Secure.Me could make a critical difference.
Case 1: Anna – tricked by a rental scam in a local Facebook group for students
Anna was looking for a new student room or apartment through a local Facebook group in Lund. A seemingly friendly “real estate agent” asked her to scan a QR code for a UC credit check. What she didn’t know: the code gave the fraudster access to her bank account.
After two hours of stress, she had transferred over 40,000 SEK.
The bank was of no help. The police couldn’t find the fraudster.
She was left with no protection and no trust.
“I thought frauds only happened to old people.
Not to us that were born and grown up in the digital age. And the swindler looked and felt so trustworthy.“
Case 2: Margareta – a costly and stressful fraud aimed at elderly people
From an undercover report by Swedish TV: fraudsters in Spain target elderly women in Sweden using fake IKEA orders via SMS. Though pone calls they built trust, redirect them to “bank security agents,” and pressured them to authorize fake transfers.
Margareta was tricked into signing away nearly 50,000 SEK.
She believed she was saving her money – not losing it.
What victims express most often is not just the financial loss – but the loss of confidence, control, and dignity.
“I feel ashamed. I should have known better.”
“I can’t trust myself to answer the phone anymore.”
“I thought the systems in place would catch something
like this.”
The burden of fraud prevention today rests almost entirely on the individual.
The business idea
in short
Secure.Me is a personal cybersecurity service designed to detect and block fraud attempts in real time – especially those involving social engineering. It acts as an independent security layer that complements existing banks, devices, and platforms.
Instead of relying solely on public awareness or backend bank security, Secure.Me empowers users directly – much like how home alarm systems or health apps offer personal protection.
The service is:
Subscription-based – with potential incentives from banks (e.g., better loan terms or interest rates, similar to how insurance companies reward home alarm systems).
Designed for collaboration – working alongside banks, police, governments, and fraud prevention organizations to stay ahead of evolving threats.
Globally scalable – fraud is a universal issue, and Secure.Me offers a human-centered, tech-driven way to rebuild trust and resilience.
The core value? Peace of mind.
For individuals, institutions, and society as a whole.
