According to reports, Australia-based anti-scam startup Apate.ai has deployed thousands to approximately 350,000 AI agents, impersonating victims of varying ages and accents, continuously answering scam calls, replying to phishing SMS, clicking on malicious links, and joining fraudulent group chats around the clock. These AI agents delay conversations with scammers, extracting critical intelligence such as bank card numbers, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, and fake website URLs, which are then shared with banks and telecom providers to facilitate account and service blocking.

Apate.ai claims to have completed over 2.5 million interactions, collectively consuming an estimated 17 years of scammer operational time, while harvesting more than 250,000 actionable intelligence leads. Its clients include the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and TPG Telecom, with some institutions publicly reporting significant reductions in fraud losses. In August 2026, Apate.ai closed an $8.15 million seed round led by Lobby Capital, bringing its total funding to nearly $10 million, and advancing plans for office expansion in London and market entry into the United States.