O2 has unveiled its latest member of its fraud prevention team, Scambaiter Daisy, as a tool to help customers stay vigilant against scammers.
Scambaiter “Daisy”, created using cutting-edge AI technology and trained with the help of YouTube’s best-known scambaiter, Jim Browning, is indistinguishable from a real person, fooling scammers into thinking they have found a perfect target when in reality, she is beating them at their own horrible game.
As part of Virgin Media O2’s ongoing “Swerve the Scammers” campaign, Scambaiter Daisy has been created in response to new research from O2 revealing 71% of Brits would like to get their own back against scammers that have tried to trick them or their loved ones.
For more information about Virgin Media / 02’s efforts in disrupting and fighting back against scammers, please visit:
https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/broadband-and-phone
However, not wanting to waste their own time ranked as the top reason why the public wouldn’t bait scammers themselves (53%).
With over two thirds of Brits (67%) concerned about being the target of fraud and one in five (22%) experiencing a fraud attempt every single week,
O2 is fighting back. After several weeks of taking calls in the run up to International Fraud Awareness Week (November 17-23), the AI Scambaiter has told frustrated scammers meandering stories of her family, talked at length about her passion for knitting, and provided exasperated callers with false personal information including made-up bank details.
By tricking the criminals into thinking they were defrauding a real person and playing on scammers’ biases about older people, Daisy has prevented them from targeting real victims and exposed the common tactics used so customers can better protect themselves.
Influencer and reality TV star Amy Hart has worked with Daisy to produce a shocking video to show how she’s taking on phoney fraudsters like the one who targeted her.
After receiving a call from someone who said they were calling from her bank on the morning of her friend’s wedding, Amy fell victim to a scam which saw more than £5,000 drained from her bank account in a matter of minutes.
Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2, said that they are committed to playing their part in stopping the scammers by investing in everything from firewall technology to block out scam texts to AI-powered spam call detection to keep customers safe.
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 centers specifically to target Brits, O2 is urging everyone to remain vigilant and help play their part in stopping fraud by forwarding suspected fraudulent calls and texts to 7726 for free.
O2 has made significant strides in combating fraud by introducing AI-powered spam fighting tools and caller identification services for mobile customers.
The company also blocks millions of fraudulent texts and calls from reaching customers’ phones every month. However, with scammers constantly evolving their methods, O2 is encouraging Brits to leave scambaiting to the AI experts.
Instead, the public can help block scammers by forwarding suspected scam calls and text messages to 7726. By reporting dodgy calls and messages, the telecoms company can investigate and block the mobile numbers used by fraudsters and can use scam texts to refine its blocking services.
Last year alone, Virgin Media O2 blocked 89 million texts, in part thanks to 7726.
To make life easier for customers, O2 has created a new webpage offering tips, tricks, and advice on how to look out for scammers. Virgin Media O2 is calling for wider action to prevent fraud, as nearly seven in ten Brits (69%) reported being targeted by scammers. Last year alone, Virgin Media O2 intercepted and blocked over £250 million in suspected fraudulent transactions.
Virgin Media O2 is calling on the government to take accountability for stopping fraud at its source by appointing a dedicated fraud minister and creating a single centralized, specialized, and properly resourced national policing body responsible for investigating all instances of fraud. O2 has developed Daisy, a human-like AI that holds autonomous conversations with scam callers and keeps them on the line for as long as possible.
O2 has three simple steps to stay safe from fraudsters:
1. Stop: If you receive a call out of the blue for someone claiming to be from O2, think about what you’re being asked to do. If you have any suspicion that you might be speaking to a scammer, hang up and call O2 back by dialling 202 from your O2 phone.
2. Send to 7726: If you’ve received a text from a scammer, forward it to 7726, which spells SPAM on your phone’s keypad and is the free number to use to report to O2.
Speak out: Let your friends and family know about the scam to keep them safe and ensure they’re never caught off guard.
