Apate's AI agents get scammed on purpose, wasting 17 years of fraudsters' time
SumitGup · x · 2026-10-16
Australian startup Apate.ai, founded in 2024 on Macquarie University research, deploys thousands of AI agents disguised as potential victims. They answer scam calls, reply to phishing texts, click malicious links and join social media groups — stalling fraudsters long enough to extract bank accounts, crypto wallets and fake sites, then sell that intelligence to banks, telcos and government agencies.
- 2.5 million conversations so far, wasting an estimated 17 years of scammers' time
- Agents vary age, gender, accent and language to stay believable
- The company raised $8.15 million in August
Related event: AI Chatbots Waste 17 Years of Scammers' Time(2 posts)→
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