Scambuster Of The Week

At least once a week I get a phone call telling me that someone is trying to commandeer my internet connection or that there are suspicious transactions on a card or that a package has been held up in customs. All I have to do is press 1 and give the operator some details and sit back as my accounts are emptied and my on-line identity is hijacked. Sometimes they take a more direct approach with a human voice at the other end, although they seem particularly irritated when they are asked questions or are required to engage in a meandering conversation, usually just putting the phone down. How rude!

It appears that people of a certain age, we old codgers, who are especially targeted but help seems to be at hand. Virgin Media O2 has just unveiled its custom-made, human like chatbot called DAIsy that answers calls in real time, keeping fraudsters on the phone as long as possible in a bid to annoy and frustrate them, just as they do to consumers worldwide. It automates the practice of “scambaiting,” which involves people posing as potential victims to squander scammers’ time and resources, publicly expose their wily ways, gather information useful to the police and anti-fraud agencies, and even confuse the con artists’ devices.    

 At least it seems a positive use of AI and is certainly one to watch.