Australian AI startup Apate.ai uses AI agents to combat fraud by luring scammers.

火星财经消息： On October 17, Apate.ai, an Australian AI anti-fraud startup founded in 2024 and rooted in research from Macquarie University in Sydney, has recently attracted attention. The company deploys thousands to approximately 350,000 AI agents that impersonate ordinary victims of varying ages and accents, around the clock answering scam calls, replying to phishing texts, clicking malicious links, and infiltrating fraudster chat groups. Their core mission is to feign ignorance and delay scammers while extracting intelligence such as bank account numbers, crypto wallets, and fake websites, then packaging this data for banks and telecom providers to block fraudulent activity. The company reports having completed over 2.5 million conversations, collectively consuming approximately 17 years of scammers’ time, and extracting more than 250,000 actionable intelligence leads. Clients include the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and TPG Telecom, with some institutions publicly reporting significant reductions in fraud losses. In August 2026, Apate.ai closed an $8.15 million seed round led by Lobby Capital, bringing total funding to nearly $10 million, and is now advancing global expansion, including establishing a London office and strengthening its presence in the United States.