Apate, an Australian company, has developed an AI-driven system to combat cybercrime by deploying bots that engage scammers in lengthy conversations. The system is designed to frustrate scammers while gathering intelligence about their operations.
The company’s platform, used by banks and supported by telecom companies, operates around 350,000 bots that not only answer scam calls but also infiltrate scam chat groups and respond to text messages. These bots collect real-time data on fraudsters, including scam URLs, money mule accounts, and bank details.
"What we really like to think is that we’re building the perfect victims for scammers," said Dali Kaafar, founder and CEO of Apate. He explained that the bots are designed to keep scammers engaged for as long as possible, potentially saving hundreds or thousands of people from falling victim to the same scam.
During testing, the Apate system proved to be engaging and responsive, even when users tried to trick the AI into investing in a cryptocurrency scheme. The bots were able to maintain a natural conversation flow, making it difficult for scammers to detect they were interacting with an AI.
Despite the system’s effectiveness, scammers often remain undeterred, with some interactions lasting over two hours. While AI is helping disrupt cybercrime, the scale of digital scamming continues to grow, with billions of messages and calls sent annually by sophisticated criminal operations.
Apate did not say how many scammers the system has successfully deterred, and it remains unclear whether the bots will eventually be outpaced by increasingly advanced cybercriminal tactics. The company continues to refine its approach as the fight against cybercrime evolves.
Source: wired
