Are you tired of scammers calling your phone and trying to trick you into giving away your hard-earned money?
If so, you’re not alone.
Many people have had enough of the constant barrage of fraudulent calls and messages. But what if you could fight back in a fun and creative way? Enter the world of scambaiting, where people waste the time and resources of scammers instead of falling for their tricks.
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Computer-generated AI grandma takes on scammers. (Virgine Media O2)
What is fraud?
Scambaiting is when someone communicates with a scammer to waste their time and resources. Some of these online experiences are entertaining and even hilarious to watch. Instead of falling for their sneaky tricks, scammers play along, knowing it’s a scam, and take on the role of a potential victim to keep the scammers busy. But understand this: There’s now a new technology that does the scamming for you.
A woman frustrated by a phone call from a scammer. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Why scams matter
So why should we worry about scams? This creative strategy offers several compelling advantages. First of all, it effectively wastes scammers’ time. Every minute they spend on the phone with Daisy is a minute they can’t use to target real victims. By keeping them busy, we may be able to prevent them from scamming someone else.
Scambaiting not only wastes time but also raises awareness about common scams. It serves as an educational tool that helps others recognize similar tactics and avoid falling prey. The more people understand how these scams work, the less likely they are to fall victim to them. Additionally, watching scammers go haywire sheds light on the lengths these criminals will go to and highlights the importance of staying vigilant against their schemes.
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A woman on the phone with a scammer. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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The AI-powered grandma takes on scammers
“Hi there! I’m just trying to understand how this prize works. Can you explain it again? I’m not as tech savvy as I used to be?”
That’s Daisy, one powered by artificial intelligence granny developed by Virgin Media O2 to communicate with scammers. When a fake call comes in, Daisy automatically answers and engages the caller in a conversation, wasting time. With her friendly personality and quick thinking, she keeps them in line while gathering useful information about their tactics. Daisy combines several AI models that work together to immediately listen and respond to fraudulent calls. She is so lifelike that she has successfully kept countless fraudsters on the line for 40 minutes straight. By tricking the criminals into thinking they are defrauding a real person and playing on scammers’ prejudices about the elderly, Daisy has prevented them from targeting real victims.
Before you get too excited, Daisy is currently only available to Virgin Media O2 customers in the UK, but other companies in the US are starting to offer similar AI-powered solutions. For example, Apate.ai has developed AI.Callee, which allows scammers to have real-time conversations across channels. Another American company, Scamnetichas launched an AI-based scam detection solution that can be integrated into business platforms to protect consumers from various types of scams.
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Computer-generated AI grandma takes on scammers. (Virgine Media O2)
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Protect yourself from robocall scams
While scambaiting can be a fun way to fight against scams, the best defense is simply not picking up and answering scam calls. An effective strategy is to consider investing in personal data deletion services that erase your information from public databases on the Internet. By reducing your digital footprint, you can make it harder for scammers to contact you. While no service promises to delete all your data from the Internet, having a deletion service is great if you want to continuously monitor and automate the process of continuously deleting your data from hundreds of sites over an extended period of time.
See my top picks for data deletion services here.
Kurt’s most important insights
The introduction of AI-powered scammers like Daisy marks a new era in the fight against fraud. While it’s fun to imagine scammers being outsmarted by a talkative AI grandma, it’s important to remember that the ultimate goal is to protect vulnerable individuals from falling victim to these schemes. As technology evolves, so do scammers’ tactics, making it critical for everyone to stay informed and vigilant. Whether it’s Daisy keeping scammers busy or individuals taking steps to protect their personal information, every effort counts in the ongoing fight against fraud.
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Would you consider trying scams or using AI technology to fight back against scammers, and what do you think of these innovative approaches to protecting yourself from fraud? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
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