People have their unique ways of handling scammers; some respond with anger, while others develop AI tools to impersonate an ‘elderly grandmother.’ However you choose to handle them, it’s crucial to make it an enjoyable experience.
Those who make unsolicited calls with fraudulent intentions are among the least reputable individuals, to put it mildly. They are comparable to parasitic entities.
O2, a prominent telecommunications company from the UK, has devised an ingenious AI tool aimed at doing just that—wasting the time of scammers.
Although it may seem unusual for a digital communications company to take a stand against scammers who attempt to deceive your family members into transferring large sums of money to offshore accounts, O2 was prompted by a recent survey to take action.
When asked if they would like to retaliate against these persistent fraudsters, seven out of ten Brits expressed the desire but cited a lack of time as a barrier.
In response, the British telecom service took it upon itself to develop a ‘scambaiter’ tool. They collaborated with some of the world’s top professional scambaiters, individuals dedicated to disrupting scam networks and call sites.
Amusingly, the AI tool, named ‘Daisy,’ simulates the voice of an ‘elderly grandmother’ and has seen significant success since its launch. ‘Daisy’ can keep fraudsters engaged for up to 40 minutes, effectively using their resources and reducing the time they have to target others.
Murray MacKenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2, commented: “We’re committed to playing our part in stopping the scammers, investing in everything from firewall technology to block out scam texts to AI-powered spam call detection to keep our customers safe.
“The newest member of our fraud-prevention team, Daisy, is turning the tables on scammers – outsmarting and outmanoeuvring them at their own cruel game simply by keeping them on the line.
“But crucially, Daisy is also a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren’t always who you think they are.
“With scammers operating full-time call centres specifically to target Brits, we’re urging everyone to remain vigilant and help play their part in stopping fraud by forwarding on dodgy calls and texts to 7726 for free.”
On Reddit, users shared their thoughts on the pioneering scambaiter program.
One user joked: “By 2030 90% of phone calls will be AI scambots talking to AI grandmothers.”
Another added: “Fight fire with fire.”
A third user expressed their loyalty: “Looks like I’m staying with O2 when I renew, f*** scammers.”