---
title: "Apate Sends AI Agents Posing as Scam Victims to Waste Fraudsters' Time"
url: https://media.yoora.tech/en/articles/apate-ai-agents-pose-as-scam-victims
lang: en
published: 2026-10-16T18:22:51+00:00
updated: 2026-10-16T18:22:51+00:00
section: "News"
description: "An Australian startup keeps scammers busy and collects data on their schemes: accounts, wallets, numbers and sites."
---

# Apate Sends AI Agents Posing as Scam Victims to Waste Fraudsters' Time

Australian startup Apate.ai, which grew out of research at Macquarie University in Sydney, has built an unusual defense against phone and online fraud: thousands of AI agents that play gullible victims and drag things out.

## How it works

The agents answer scam calls, reply to messages and emails, follow phishing links and join social media groups. They vary in age, gender and accent, and speak several languages. The job is simple: keep the fraudster talking until he gives up a bank account, crypto wallet, phone number or fake website. Customers get the findings in a portal and can assign missions, such as getting an account number.

The idea came when founder Dali Kaafar kept a scammer on the line for 44 minutes at a family picnic and wondered whether that could be automated.

## Numbers from the company

Apate says its agents have wasted 17 years of scammers' time across 2.5 million conversations. Customers include Commonwealth Bank of Australia and telecom TPG, which diverted nearly 590,000 calls to the agents. Commonwealth reports a 76 percent drop in publicly reported scam losses. These figures come from the company itself.

## Money and plans

The startup raised $8.15 million in seed funding in August, just under $10 million in total. The team has 20 people, and a London office and a bigger U.S. presence are next.