British telecommunications company O2 declares war on phone scammers. With an AI granny who skillfully kills the crooks’ time. For us, we will probably have to wait a little longer before we see a similar solution appear.
O2
Daisy seems a little outdated when it comes to new technology. She shows ignorance, constantly asks naive questions and thus ensures that the conversations with her never end. For phone scammers, it’s a nightmare…
In an advert released by O2, a malicious caller can be heard angrily exclaiming: “It’s been almost an hour. For heaven’s sake…!” Daisy, unimpressed, kindly responds, “Oh, my God, how time flies.”
Time during which scammers are unable to contact other victims. Additionally, through these conversations, Daisy collects data on frequently used scam methods, which O2 can use for further prevention. According to the Techspot portal, Daisy kept some “victims” online for up to 40 minutes.
The power of data against evil
The idea for Daisy came from a survey by O2, in which 71% of respondents said they would like to take revenge on fraudsters. It is with this wish in mind that the company created the charming AI actress.
O2 received support from Jim Browning, a well-known YouTube scammer. “Scambaiting” refers to the tactic of deceiving scammers, wasting their time and at the same time collecting information about their modus operandi. Daisy is revolutionary in this area: unlike human scambaiters, she works autonomously and around the clock.
Daisy can be reached via a special telephone number, which has been deliberately placed on scammers’ lists. O2 customers cannot use the bot directly, but can help provide new targets for Daisy.
What about in Switzerland?
On the Internet, Daisy is already celebrated. But is the model really more than a publicity stunt? In any case, Swisscom also finds the idea “exciting and an interesting solution”, as it said in response to blue News: “We are curious to see if this proves itself in the fight against telephone scammers. “.
But Swisscom is not currently pursuing any similar projects. “We rely on our call filter and anti-spoofing measures directly at home in the network and work closely with the competent authorities such as the Federal Office for Cybersecurity (BACS).”
The BACS recently published a document on telephone fraud in the cyber domain. This document also discusses in detail artificial intelligence as it is used by fraudsters. For telecommunications companies like Swisscom, however, using AI in the fight is much more difficult. “Regardless of whether callers use a fake identity, it is currently neither permitted nor technically possible for telecommunications providers to recognize robocalls using AI methods based on content, language or voice “.
Currently, the best way to protect yourself is to activate the call filter both on the landline and on the mobile phone. This also helps avoid annoying advertising calls. This guide also shows you what helps you make calls with peace of mind.
