Apate Raises $8.15 Million for AI Agents That Engage Scammers

Apate, an Australian startup that uses conversational AI to engage suspected fraudsters and gather information for customers, completed an $8.15 million seed round in August. The financing brings the company’s total funding to nearly $10 million.

Its agents have taken part in 2.5 million conversations with threat actors, adding up to 17 years of time spent interacting with scammers. TPG, an Australian telecommunications provider, has routed nearly 590,000 calls to the system.

Founded in 2024 from research at Macquarie University in Sydney, Apate grew from a 44-minute scam call that founder and CEO Dali Kaafar kept going during a family picnic. The experience led him to consider using software to handle similar encounters.

The agents pose as people of different ages, genders, accents and languages. They answer scam calls, respond to suspicious messages, open phishing links and join scam groups. During those exchanges, they collect details including bank accounts, crypto wallets, phone numbers and malicious websites. Customers can use the information to block money flows before victims are harmed.

One bank customer used Apate’s system to dismantle 22 scam operations. Commonwealth Bank, an Apate customer, recorded a 76% decline in scam losses.

The service targets fraud tactics that have become easier to scale. Scammers use AI to automate conversations and create deepfakes of public figures, company executives and other trusted people, lowering the cost of reaching victims. Apate’s agents stay in contact while gathering information about scam accounts and infrastructure.