Grandma fights phone criminals

Granny fights back against scammers - 17th February 2025

The Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) has reported that over $1.03 trillion dollars was lost to scammers in 2024. A huge proportion of those scams start with a single phone call, often targeted at the elderly or those who are vulnerable. Now, however, a 78-year-old English grandma has joined the struggle against scammers.

In fact, Daisy isn't a genuine granny, but an AI creation thought up by Virgin Media O2. Working with an online anti-scam system, the telecoms company included Daisy's phone number on lists that scammers typically use to target the elderly. Murray Mackenzie, the Director of Fraud from O2, says, "The newest member of our fraud-prevention team, Daisy, is turning the tables on scammers - outsmarting and outmanoeuvring them at their own cruel game simply by keeping them on the line."

And Daisy's done precisely that, having taken more than 1,000 phone calls, with hardly any callers realising she isn't human. The AI bot's succeeded in holding most of the criminals on the line for over 40 minutes.

Her chats with scammers often centre around her imaginary cat Fluffy, her interest in cake-making, and her limited computer knowledge. Daisy’s inability to stick to the task, that of handing over her personal details, soon leads to the scammers becoming frustrated. And that can indicate the caller isn't trustworthy.

While her role in the battle against scammers might be small, Daisy also provides a window into the techniques employed by tricksters. That should allow for the development of further measures to deal with the issue.

Although AI's already used in a wide variety of fields, including banking, insurance and tax offices, Daisy's probably the most likeable system out there. O2 hope that she'll make individuals more aware of the risk of scammers. She might even make them more cautious when answering the phone to a stranger.