New service screens scam calls, texts and emails for aging parents

A Toronto company called Vigilo has launched a service that checks an older person's phone calls, text messages and email for scams. The idea is that a grown child or caregiver can add protection without taking over a parent's phone. It launched on October 16, 2026 in the United States and in Canada, except Quebec.

What it does

Vigilo works in the background on iPhone and Android. It also covers Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook and MSN email accounts. The company says it handles each channel in a different way.

• Email: scanned and filtered before the message is opened.
• Calls: incoming numbers are checked against lists of known scam and robocall numbers, and known scam callers are blocked.
• Texts: screened for scam content such as fake delivery notices and bank alerts, then flagged and filtered.

Why it was built

Founder Andrew Howard says his family was hit by repeated scam attempts. In one, his grandfather got an email that appeared to come from a cloud storage company. It warned that his photos would be deleted unless he paid. He entered his credit card details on a realistic payment page. The family only learned of it weeks later, when he mentioned it in passing on a phone call.

Setup and who it is for

Family members sign up online, either for themselves or for a loved one. Every plan includes a free guided setup call with a real person. The service is aimed at families protecting an aging parent, but adults can use it for themselves too. The apps are on the App Store and Google Play.

What the numbers say

The company says that during testing and early use it scanned more than 25,000 emails and moved about 1,300 malicious ones to spam. These figures come from Vigilo itself and have not been checked by an outside party. It also says it passed a Google-required security assessment, verified by an independent lab, and belongs to Microsoft's AI Cloud Partner Program.

The wider problem is large. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says Canadians reported losing $704 million to fraud in 2025. Authorities estimate only 5 to 10 per cent of fraud is ever reported.

What is not known yet

The material does not give a price. It also does not explain how Vigilo handles the messages and call information it screens, which matters for anyone weighing privacy. Anyone considering it should ask both questions at myvigilo.com, and talk with the parent first, since the service looks at their communications.