Artificial intelligence is making digital fraud and cybercrime more effective—but it is also being used to fight back. Governments around the world have struggled to respond to the global crisis of online crime, especially when criminals operate across international borders. One approach uses automation to waste scammers’ time and resources. An AI “granny” experiment is one example of this strategy. Now, AI platforms are turning the idea into a tool for gathering intelligence on cybercriminals.

How AI “victims” waste scammers’ time

Apate, an Australian company named after the Greek goddess of deception, has spent the past two years developing a system that lures phone scammers into conversations with AI bots. The bots are trained to keep calls going for as long as possible without falling for the scam. Their goal is to collect information about the fraud while giving scammers enough hope to continue the conversation.

“What we really want to think about is that we’re creating the perfect victim for scammers,” said Dali Kaafar, Apate’s founder and CEO.

“Every minute a scammer is talking to a bot or an agent is a moment that could potentially save hundreds, if not thousands, of people who might be contacted by that very same scammer,” Kaafar said, referring to the possibility of criminals using autodialing tools.

Apate says it has 350,000 scam-baiting bots

Kaafar said Apate’s platform, which is used by banks and supported by carriers, has about 350,000 bots. In addition to answering phone calls, the bots infiltrate online scam chat groups and respond to text messages that resemble the scammers’ targets.

As the bots interact with criminals, they collect information in real time. Kaafar said Apate gathers more than 250,000 data points, including fraudulent URLs and details about money mule accounts and banks.

Different personalities make the bots harder to detect

Apate’s bots have different personalities, language abilities and personal profiles, helping them appear more like real people. Some may say they do not use WhatsApp. Others answer the phone, say they will call back later or simply end the conversation.

“Sometimes… [the bots] may or may not have WhatsApp,” Kaafar said. “Sometimes they answer the phone, and sometimes they say, ‘I’ll call you back later,’ and actually hang up on the scammer.”

Are AI scam-baiting bots convincing?

Kernel Panic tested the tool using a demo version in which users take on the role of scammers and converse with one of Apate’s AI “victims.” The bot personas were designed to show a healthy amount of skepticism while leaving enough openings for fraudsters to keep trying to persuade them.

The interaction felt immediate—and extremely frustrating, especially for anyone attempting to carry out the scam.