A new AI chatbot is here to scam scammers and block their access to victims

Anti-scam technology - Apate, invented by cyber security experts is helping gathervaluable intelligence about fraudsters and combat scam phone calls.

 A new anti-scam technology features realistic multilingual chatbots that can keep scammers on long fake calls and away from vulnerable people.  Macquarie University’s cyber security experts have teamed up with Australia’s largest bank, CommBank, to launch a world-first pilot programme aimed at combating the global rise of cybercrime and financial scams. The initiative, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to thwart scammers, promises to disrupt the lucrative business model of cyber criminals and reduce the multi-billion-dollar losses from fraud.

 

The new anti-scam technology, known as Apate.ai, leverages AI to create highly sophisticated voice clones that keep scammers engaged in lengthy phone calls with chatbots. This innovative strategy ties up scammers’ time, reducing their opportunities to target vulnerable victims. Developed by Professor Dali Kaafar, Executive Director of Macquarie University’s Cyber Security Hub, Apate is poised to become a powerful tool in the global fight against fraud.

 

“We’ve created a model that ties them up, wastes their time, and reduces the number of successful scams,” Professor Kaafar explained. The AI-driven chatbots, which can speak multiple languages and simulate various human behaviors, prevent scammers from reaching potential victims, making it harder for them to generate profit from fraudulent schemes.

 

Since receiving federal government funding, Macquarie University’s team has made significant strides in refining Apate, with the technology evolving over the past two years. 

 

What began as a programme with about 100 bots representing different human profiles has expanded to a sophisticated network of thousands of bots. These bots now emulate complex human behavior and are able to engage scammers on a much larger scale.

 

“We used to name each of them,” Kaafar said, reflecting on the early days of the project. “But now we have thousands of different bots emulating unique human behavior.”

 

Beyond simply wasting scammers’ time, the technology also gathers valuable intelligence. The chatbots extract real-time data about the scammers’ tactics, emotional manipulation strategies, and the impersonated organizations involved in the fraud. This intelligence is crucial for businesses and regulators in warning the public about emerging scams and catching criminals.

 

In addition to phone scams, Apate’s AI-powered chatbots can also target text-based scammers operating on popular social media platforms like WhatsApp and TikTok. This added functionality is especially timely as the rise of online and phone scams continues to grow globally.

 

The global scale of the problem is staggering. According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, more than $1 trillion was lost to scams in the past year, with over 2 billion people falling victim to fraud. Yet less than one percent of scammers are apprehended. In India alone, over 135,000 phishing attacks were reported in the first half of 2024. 

 

India ranks 10th globally in cybercrime, underlining the urgent need for advanced tools like

Apate to tackle rising threats

 

CommBank’s involvement in the project will see the bank share scam intelligence with Macquarie University’s team to further strengthen the anti-scam efforts. The collaboration aims to reduce the effectiveness of scams and prevent more Australians—and people worldwide—from falling prey to cybercriminals.