This AI Granny Helps to Stop Scams by Wasting Scammers' Time – Here’s How She Does It

The AI Granny Who Wastes Scammers' Time

Meet Daisy Harris, an AI-powered grandmother, unveiled by the British phone company O2 in November 2024.

On the surface, Daisy might appear as a harmless old woman—she’s a fan of tea, biscuits, and knitting, and is keen to tell you about the birds outside her window.

But this sweet, seemingly befuddled figure is far from defenseless.

She has one very specific talent: wasting scammers’ time.

Her mission?

To frustrate fraudsters who prey on vulnerable individuals, particularly older adults, who often find themselves targeted by phone scams.

The developers behind Daisy’s creation aim to make her a tiny thorn in the side of these criminals, drawing inspiration from real-life scenarios and even personal family experiences.

An AI That Doesn't Need Sleep

While many human scambaiters spend their time tricking scammers with elaborate distractions, they are limited by the need to rest.

Daisy, however, can keep scammers busy for hours without tiring.

Morten Legarth, one of the developers at VCCP, the London advertising agency that worked with O2 on Daisy's creation, explains the concept:

"These people can’t just talk to thousands of scammers, but there’s an idea that A.I. can."

Daisy can handle multiple calls a day, ensuring that fraudsters are kept away from their intended victims.

Phone Scams on the Rise

Phone scams are more widespread than ever.

The phone security company Hiya reports that tens of millions of scam calls are made globally every single day.

A staggering $1 trillion was stolen in 2023 alone, often when unsuspecting individuals handed over sensitive information like bank details and passwords.

Unfortunately, older people are often seen as easy targets.

In the UK, a study found that 40% of individuals over the age of 75 receive scam calls at least once a month, with some even facing daily attacks.

Daisy's developers were aware of this trend, which is why they designed her to seem like the perfect mark.

With her technologically clueless persona and eagerness to chat about everyday topics, she’s ideal bait for scammers.

Where Did Daisy's Personality Come From?

Daisy may seem like a fictional character, but she’s based on real-life experiences and real people.

Ben Hopkins, a key developer of Daisy, admits to drawing inspiration from his own grandmother, who "always went on about the birds in her garden."

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Instead of hiring a voice actor, the team used the voice of one of their colleague's grandmothers.

She came in for a cup of tea and recorded hours of dialogue that would later help train Daisy to sound authentic.

An AI-powered visual interpretation of Daisy Harris, O2’s virtual grandmother, alongside her cat Fluffy.

How Daisy Keeps Scammers on the Line

Daisy isn’t just a friendly, chatty figure; she’s also a well-crafted scambaiter.

With guidance from a prolific Northern Irish scambaiter known as Jim Browning, Daisy has been programmed with a mix of diversion tactics that frustrate scammers.

These include going off on tangents about hobbies, family matters, and even feigning confusion over how technology works.

In one memorable instance, three scammers teamed up on a call with Daisy.

They tried to convince her to type “www.” into her web browser.

Despite their best efforts, Daisy kept them on the line for almost an hour, leading the fraudsters down a winding conversation about birds and biscuits.

It’s not the sort of thing that gets them any closer to their target, but it certainly wastes their time.

The Limitations of Daisy's Efforts

Despite her successes in leading scammers astray, Daisy’s impact on the broader problem of phone fraud is limited.

O2 hasn’t set up a way for customers to directly forward scam calls to Daisy, and given the vast number of numbers that fraudsters can dial, she only answers a few of them.

Elisabeth Carter, an expert in criminology and forensic linguistics at Kingston University, points out that while Daisy’s efforts can disrupt scammers temporarily, they don't offer a practical solution to the widespread issue.

She explains:

"Although it does disrupt operations on a practical level, it doesn’t stop fraud more broadly in any meaningful sense.”

Should You Try This at Home?

As satisfying as it may be to waste a scammer’s time, Dr. Carter advises against following Daisy’s lead.

She cautions:

"The best thing to do if you receive a call from a fraudster is to not engage, to hang up and report it."

Engaging with scammers, even to frustrate them, can sometimes lead to further risks, especially when personal details are involved.

Daisy Harris may be just one small piece of the puzzle in the battle against phone scams, but her quirky approach offers an intriguing glimpse into how AI can be used for good.

She might not be able to stop every scam call, but she certainly knows how to make a nuisance of herself for those trying to defraud others.