O2 has created a human-like AI “Granny” to keep scammers talking on the phone.
“Daisy” has been trained using cutting edge tech and real scambaiter content and O2 say the “lifelike” OAP is indistinguishable from a real person, fooling fraudsters into thinking they’ve found a perfect target.
The aim is to waste as much of their time as possible, so they stay away from real customers. O2 said it also highlighted the need for people to stay vigilant as the UK faces “a fraud epidemic.”
“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,” stated Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2.
“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 fulltime 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.”
“Daisy” has been trained with the help of one of YouTube’s best known scambaiters, Jim Browning and the AI OAP can interact with callers in real time without any input from her creators.
The tech combines various AI models which work together to listen and respond to fraudulent calls instantaneously and O2 said the result is so lifelike it has successfully kept numerous fraudsters on calls for 40 minutes at a time, as Daisy tells callers meandering stories of her family; her passion for knitting; and then offering false personal information including made-up bank details.
The launch is part of Virgin Media O2’s ongoing “Swerve the Scammers” campaign and in response to O2’s own research revealing that 7 in 10 (71%) of Brits would like to get their own back against scammers that have tried to trick them or their loved ones.
However, not wanting to waste their own time ranked as the top reason why the public wouldn’t bait scammers themselves (53%).
More than two thirds of Brits (67%) said they were concerned about being the target of fraud, with one in five (22%) experiencing a fraud attempt every single week.
O2 has also enlisted influencer and reality TV star, Amy Hart, to front a film about the campaign. Hart fell victim to a scam which saw her lose more than £5k.
“I know first-hand just how sophisticated nasty fraudsters can be, that’s why I’ve teamed up with O2 and AI Scambaiter Daisy to take the fight back to them, keeping them busy with calls going nowhere,” she added.
“But whilst I love a wind up, it’s scary to see the lengths scammers go to steal everything from passwords to bank details regardless of who they’re speaking to. Whether you’re young or old, anyone can be a victim of a scam that’s why we can never be too careful when it comes to unexpected calls or texts.”
