Student helps seniors avoid financial scams

On family trips to India, local student Arhan Menta would teach his grandfather computer skills. His grandfather got really good at it, becoming adept at online shopping and banking.

But then a scammer tricked him into giving remote access to his computer and he lost a great deal of money.

That experience inspired Arhan, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, to develop a project to educate seniors about scams.

Arhan says what happened to his grandfather “opened my eyes to the risks many seniors face as they navigate the digital world without the necessary tools and support to do so.”

He launched the Kumar Project, a nonprofit organization, to deliver educational workshops at senior centers and libraries in Northern Virginia on financial scams and how to avoid becoming a victim.

Arhan expanded the Kumar Project by starting chapters in California, Pennsylvania, and Texas. So far, Arhan and his partners across the country have reached over 1,000 seniors.

After talking to numerous seniors and their families, Arhan recommends encouraging seniors to give a trusted relative access to their account history so they can flag suspicious payments.

Now Arhan has a bigger goal. “I’ve shifted focus to create a long-term solution that hopefully has a stronger impact in our community: advocating for legislation that promotes financial scam education and requires greater transparency from banks.”

He is working with Virginia Sen. Barbara Favola, a Democrat representing the Arlington area,  on drafting legislation to protect seniors from financial exploitation. He hopes it can be introduced in the next session of the General Assembly.

Anyone who wants to schedule a workshop for seniors, should contact the Kumar Project or sent an email to Arhan Menta at [email protected].