Illustrative stock photo (source: SME)
The aim of the new mobile application entitled “My Senior” is to minimise the activities of scammers, who under various pretences visit old people and often rob them.
Developed by the civic association Pro Dynamik, it verifies the visits by generating a unique code that will occur directly in the application. The visitors will then have to use the same code to identify themselves, the TASR newswire reported.
“The principle of this application is to connect the supplier of a certain service and the seniors,” said Maroš Košík, representative of Pro Dynamik, as quoted by TASR.
Plumbers and other workmen, employees of the city authorities and other institutions will have to register at the Mojsenior.sk website. At the same time, they will send the seniors a notification about a planned visit. The seniors will then be allowed to see the name of the company or the picture of the employee in the application or on the internet, Košík explained.
“On the day of the visit, the senior as well as the respective employee will receive a unique code,” he continued, as quoted by TASR. “It is a third level of protection. The seniors will only have to ask about the code. The respective employee will have to tell them their names and the code.”
To be able to use the service for free, senior citizens will have to register on the Mojsenior.sk website. They will then download the application to their mobile phone and log in (the password is the same as used during the registration). The companies or authorities will have to do the same.
Pro Dynamic is currently talking with the representatives of the municipalities in the Bratislava and Prešov Regions. It has also informed all regional employees dealing with crime prevention, as well as the state and city police in the Bratislava, Banská Bystrica and Prešov Regions about the application.
“We expect that in the near future we will make a deal for a trial with the municipalities in the above-mentioned regions,” Košík said, as quoted by TASR.
The plan is that municipalities and also companies will be able to pick an employee who will then visit the seniors.
“We are convinced that we will manage to minimise the activities of these scammers,” Košík said.
