# Australian firm uses AI bots to trap phone scammers

> Apate deploys 350,000 AI‑driven bots that answer scam calls and texts, gathering intelligence and wasting criminals' time.

Oossa · 2026-10-10 · https://oossa.com/en/australian-firm-uses-ai-bots-to-trap-phone-scammers

Apate, an Australian company, has built a system that redirects phone scammers to AI bots. The bots keep the conversation going, collect data and prevent the scammer from reaching real victims. Banks and telecoms already use the platform, which also joins scam chat groups and replies to texts. In testing, calls with the bots lasted over two hours, while the bots stayed skeptical enough to frustrate the scammers.

## The facts

- Apate’s platform runs about 350,000 bots
- It has gathered more than 250,000 pieces of scam‑related information in real‑time

## Why it matters

By tying up scammers for minutes or hours, the bots could spare hundreds of people from fraud each day.

## Sources & references

1. [AI Is Getting Really Good at Messing With Cybercriminals](https://www.wired.com/story/ai-is-getting-really-good-at-messing-with-cybercriminals/) – Wired, 2026-10-10

Last updated: 2026-10-10