● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 neutral
Apate.ai deploys AI agents to gather fraud intelligence from scammers
Key points
- Apate.ai uses AI agents to bait and engage with scammers.
- Agents collect fraud intelligence like bank accounts and malicious websites.
- Customers include banks, telecom companies, and government agencies.
- The company was founded in 2024 based on Macquarie University research.
AI Agents Undercover
Apate.ai deploys thousands of AI agents that pose as potential scam victims. These agents interact with scammers through calls, messages, emails, and social media, aiming to keep them engaged.
The agents are designed to mimic diverse demographics, speaking various languages and adopting different ages, genders, and accents to appear authentic to fraudsters.
Gathering Fraud Intelligence
The primary goal of these undercover operations is to extract actionable intelligence from scammers. This includes details such as bank account numbers, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, phone numbers, malicious website URLs, and the brands being impersonated.
Apate.ai states its agents have accumulated 17 years of engagement time across 2.5 million conversations with scammers.
Customer Application
The intelligence gathered by Apate.ai is provided to its customers, which include financial institutions, telecommunication companies, government bodies, and utility providers. These organizations use the data to enhance their anti-fraud systems and initiatives.
Apate.ai was a finalist at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield 200.
Context of AI in Fraud
The company's approach addresses the increasing use of AI by fraudsters. The FBI reported over 22,000 AI-related crime complaints in 2025, resulting in approximately $893 million in losses, with investment scams accounting for over $632 million.
Fraudsters utilize AI for managing conversations and creating deepfakes of public figures to deceive victims.
Origin and Background
Apate.ai was founded in 2024, stemming from research conducted at Macquarie University in Sydney. The idea for the company originated from a personal experience of founder and CEO Dali Kaafar, who received a scam call.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Apate.ai, an Australian startup, uses AI agents to engage with scammers, collecting intelligence such as bank accounts, crypto wallets, and malicious websites. This information helps banks, telecom companies, and government agencies improve their anti-fraud measures.