Forget Firewalls: How a Sweet-Talking AI Granny Became the Ultimate Weapon Against Scammers
Consumers worldwide lost more than $1 trillion to online scams last year. For most of us, scam calls are a minor nuisance. But for many, especially the elderly, they’re a serious threat.
Virgin Media O2 was blocking £250 million in suspected fraudulent transactions annually, yet scammers kept evolving, targeting vulnerable populations with increasingly sophisticated tactics.
Then O2 did something brilliant. Instead of just fortifying their defenses, they launched a counterattack disguised as the perfect victim.
Meet Daisy, an AI-powered "granny" who's been appointed O2's "head of scammer relations." She's everything fraudsters dream of finding: elderly, tech-challenged, chatty, and seemingly eager to share personal information. There's just one problem for the scammers—she's completely artificial and has all day to waste their time.
Daisy can keep scammers on calls for up to 40 minutes, spinning endless tales about her passion for knitting, her cat Fluffy, and her grandchildren. She'll happily provide fake bank details and personal information, all while frustrating would-be criminals with her delightfully rambling conversation style.
The genius lies in the execution. Working with renowned scambaiter Jim Browning, O2 used "number seeding" to get Daisy's phone number added to the "mugs lists" that scammers use to target UK consumers. When fraudsters call expecting an easy mark, they get an AI that's programmed to be their worst nightmare—someone with infinite patience and zero valuable information.
This isn't just clever tech—it's strategic thinking. Every minute a scammer spends chatting with Daisy is a minute they're not targeting real victims. Since her November debut, Daisy has already had more than 1,000 conversations with scammers, creating a significant dent in their operations while gathering intelligence on their tactics.
But here's the deeper innovation principle: O2 refused to accept the premise that they had to play by the attackers' rules. Instead of just reactive defense, they created proactive offense. They turned the scammers' own biases against them, exploiting the very assumptions fraudsters make about elderly targets.
This approach works because it addresses the fundamental economics of scamming. Fraudsters succeed through volume—they need to quickly identify genuine targets and move on. Daisy breaks their business model by introducing massive inefficiency into their operations.
The broader lesson transcends cybersecurity. When facing any persistent challenge, ask yourself: "What if we stopped just defending and started attacking the problem from an unexpected angle?" Whether it's competition, market disruption, or operational challenges, sometimes the breakthrough comes from flipping the script entirely.
"While they're busy talking to me, they can't be scamming you. And let's face it, dear, I've got all the time in the world," Daisy cheerfully explains. That confidence comes from knowing she's not just blocking attacks—she's actively undermining the entire enterprise.
Innovation often means refusing to accept the rules of the game as they're presented to you. Sometimes, the best defense really is a brilliant offense.
