GoKawiilApate.ai uses AI agents posing as victims to extract data from scammers
Apate.ai, an Australian startup spun out of Macquarie University research, deploys AI agents that pose as potential scam victims across calls, texts, emails and social media. The agents try to keep fraudsters talking long enough to extract details like bank accounts, crypto wallets, phone numbers and phishing sites. Apate says its agents have logged 2.5 million conversations and wasted an estimated 17 years of scammers' time, with the gathered intelligence sold to banks, telecoms, utilities and government agencies.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The approach flips traditional anti-fraud defense by actively baiting scammers for intelligence rather than just blocking or detecting attacks after the fact, which could give institutions earlier warning of emerging scam infrastructure. It also reflects a broader arms race in which AI is being used both to scale fraud and to counter it, as the FBI's reported $893 million in AI-related crime losses in 2025 suggests the stakes are rising on both sides. Apate's pitch at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield suggests it is seeking funding and validation to scale this model further.
- Apate.ai uses thousands of AI agents impersonating varied personas to engage scammers directly.
- The company has recorded 2.5 million scam conversations and claims 17 years of wasted scammer time.
- Apate is a finalist at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield 200, pitching to VC judges this week.
Source: techcrunch.com — Ram Iyer, 2026-10-14
Published there as: “Apate sends AI agents undercover to get scammed so they can gather fraud intelligence”
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