{"id":17201,"date":"2024-11-25T15:16:35","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T16:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=17201"},"modified":"2024-11-25T16:24:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T16:24:01","slug":"an-a-i-granny-befuddles-phone-scammers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=17201","title":{"rendered":"An A.I. Granny Befuddles Phone Scammers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">Daisy Harris, an A.I.-generated English granny, has been stymying scammers with meandering, time-wasting conversations. But can she actually make a dent in the flood of fraud?<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Daisy Harris likes birds \u2014 there\u2019s one outside her window. Her cat is named Fluffy, and she\u2019d love to tell you about her knitting hobby. She likes tea and biscuits. And she just can\u2019t seem to figure out this internet thing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But perhaps you can explain it just one more time?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That\u2019s the general vibe of a chat with Daisy Harris, an A.I.-generated granny <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/news.virginmediao2.co.uk\/o2-unveils-daisy-the-ai-granny-wasting-scammers-time\/\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">unveiled this month<\/a> by the big British phone company O2, as part of its efforts to curb phone scammers. She doesn\u2019t have a badge, or a warrant, or any way to <em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">really <\/em>stop them. But when an unlucky fraudster dials her number, Daisy does have the power to waste unlimited amounts of their time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"AudioBlock-1\">\n<figure class=\"margins-h css-1nhp71k\"><figcaption class=\"css-5soref\">\n<div class=\"audioFigureHeading\">\n<h3 class=\"css-71086k\">\u2018Do You Like Biscuits, Peter?\u2019<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"css-xhi848\">In a call with a potential scammer, an A.I. granny deployed by a British phone company to fight phone fraud is diabolically friendly.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"css-1ijhom3\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There are plenty of human <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2021\/oct\/03\/who-scams-the-scammers-meet-the-amateur-scambaiters-taking-on-the-crooks\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">scambaiters<\/a> out there \u2014 people who identify would-be thieves and turn the tables, leading them on meandering conversations that keep them from calling other potential victims. Unlike them, Daisy is free of encumbrances like the need to sleep.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-3\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThese people can\u2019t just talk to thousands of scammers,\u201d said Morten Legarth, who helped develop Daisy with VCCP, an advertising agency in London. \u201cBut there\u2019s an idea that A.I. can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Phone scams have reached mind-boggling levels: <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20230810585601\/en\/Phone-Fraud-Spikes-Worldwide-According-to-New-Industry-Report\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Tens of millions of scam calls<\/a> rocketed around the world every day last year, according to the phone security company Hiya. An anti-scam consortium says that <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2024\/04\/interpol-financial-fraud-scams-cybercrime\/\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">more than $1 trillion<\/a> was stolen, often when targets unsuspectingly turned over bank details, passwords or other personal information.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171d1bw\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F25%2Ftechnology%2Fai-granny-phone-scam.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F25%2Ftechnology%2Fai-granny-phone-scam.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F25%2Ftechnology%2Fai-granny-phone-scam.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F25%2Ftechnology%2Fai-granny-phone-scam.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daisy Harris, an A.I.-generated English granny, has been stymying scammers with meandering, time-wasting conversations. But can she actually make a dent in the flood of fraud?Daisy Harris likes birds \u2014 there\u2019s one outside her window. Her cat is named Fluffy, and she\u2019d love to tell you about her knitting hobby. She likes tea and biscuits. And she just can\u2019t seem to figure out this internet thing.But perhaps you can explain it just one more time?That\u2019s the general vibe of a chat with Daisy Harris, an A.I.-generated granny unveiled this month by the big British phone company O2, as part of its efforts to curb phone scammers. She doesn\u2019t have a badge, or a warrant, or any way to really stop them. But when an unlucky fraudster dials her number, Daisy does have the power to waste unlimited amounts of their time.\u2018Do You Like Biscuits, Peter?\u2019In a call with a potential scammer, an A.I. granny deployed by a British phone company to fight phone fraud is diabolically friendly.There are plenty of human scambaiters out there \u2014 people who identify would-be thieves and turn the tables, leading them on meandering conversations that keep them from calling other potential victims. Unlike them, Daisy is free of encumbrances like the need to sleep.\u201cThese people can\u2019t just talk to thousands of scammers,\u201d said Morten Legarth, who helped develop Daisy with VCCP, an advertising agency in London. \u201cBut there\u2019s an idea that A.I. can.\u201dPhone scams have reached mind-boggling levels: Tens of millions of scam calls rocketed around the world every day last year, according to the phone security company Hiya. An anti-scam consortium says that more than $1 trillion was stolen, often when targets unsuspectingly turned over bank details, passwords or other personal information.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17203,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17201"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17204,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17201\/revisions\/17204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}