O2’s AI granny Daisy unveils what she’s learnt from her time on the phone to scammers – and what you can do to ruin their day

• After chatting with more than 1,000 scam callers, O2’s Head of Scammer Relations, Daisy the AI ‘Granny’ offers an insight into the common tricks and tips used by fraudsters
• Common themes include fraudsters operating in call centres and reading off scripts, impersonating very large, trusted companies, employing high-pressure tactics and getting angry if they’re not getting their way
• Daisy and O2 is urging everyone to stay vigilant and report scam calls and texts messages to 7726.

Daisy, the nation’s favourite AI Granny and O2’s Head of Scammer Relations, is revealing the latest scam trends and insights after spending hundreds of hours on the phone with scammers.

After answering more than 1,000 scam calls, Daisy has learnt how cruel tricksters operate and tailor their tactics to get what they want out of victims and is lifting the lid to help the public stay safe.

The AI bot was developed by O2 to talk with fraudsters and waste as much of their time as possible to keep them away from real people, while highlighting the need for consumers to stay vigilant as the UK faces a fraud epidemic. Daisy combines various AI models which work together to listen and respond to fraudulent calls instantaneously and is so lifelike it has successfully kept numerous fraudsters on calls for 40 minutes at a time.

Taking the fight back to scammers, here is what Daisy has learnt from her time on the phone with fraudsters.

1. Most scammers work in call centres using scripts

Scamming people is a full-time job, and fraudsters are operating from call centres specifically set up to target victims. On multiple occasions, Daisy heard the same well-rehearsed lines from different scammers. Fraudsters even began to recognise her, indicating they’re operating together and sharing knowledge of their triumphs and failures.

One of the most common scams saw Daisy be offered a very cheap deal on iPhone 13 as a ruse to trick Daisy into sharing personal details. Whilst scammers often thought they knew who they were speaking with, in cases where they didn’t, they were quick to change tactics to keep the call going, demonstrating the professional nature of their operation.

In one instance, Daisy was passed to four different fraudsters in one single call. If one scammer wasn’t having any luck, Daisy would often be passed over to a ‘supervisor’ who would attempt to escalate the call, making it appear to be more genuine and urgent.

2. Scammers impersonate trusted companies and use high-pressure tactics

Daisy repeatedly heard scammers claiming to be from banks, well-known organisations like Amazon and Microsoft, delivery companies and the government. This is a way for scammers to cast their net as wide as possible, using some of the most trusted companies that consumers deal with regularly.

Once the fraudsters believed Daisy trusted that they were who they said they were, scammers often employed high-pressure tactics – including threatening the imminent loss of money, claiming there’s been a hacker on Daisy’s computer or even threatening legal action.

3. Unlike real employees, scammers will get frustrated and angry if they’re not getting what they want 

Scam callers would typically start off friendly and personable in tone but the longer they spent on the phone they’d quickly begin to switch and show their true colours.

Daisy might not actually be a real person – but the scammers don’t know that. From clearly showing signs of frustration if she struggled to follow the instructions or yelling at her for going off on a tangent about her cat, Daisy frequently experienced rude and aggressive behaviour. This was particularly clear when Daisy was not doing as they wanted.

Speaking on her experience, Daisy, Head of Scammer Relations at O2, said: “I’ve had my fair share of fun nattering away to those pesky scammers. But whilst it’s easy, dears, to assume those nasty callers won’t target you, from my time chatting away it’s clear they’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on your all-important personal details. That’s why it’s never been more important to have your wits about you.

“Calls out of the blue, threatening language or pressure tactics are all signs of a scam, and just because you hear them operate in a call centre doesn’t mean you can trust the person down the other line. If you’re even slightly unsure, it’s best to politely hang up and call back on an official number and report to 7726 to help everyone stay safe.”

Watch Daisy in action with scammer callers, click here.

Swerve the Scammers

O2 has invested heavily in the fight against fraud, rolling out AI-powered spam fighting tools and new caller identification services free to all mobile customers to help protect them. The operator also blocks millions of fraudulent texts and calls from reaching customers phones every month.

However, with scammers constantly evolving their processes and using increasingly sophisticated methods, the business is encouraging Brits to leave scambaiting to the AI experts. Instead, the public can help block scammers by forwarding suspected scam calls and text messages to 7726. Last month it launched new tools that would flag suspected scam and spam calls to customers before they pick up, helping them to decide whether ​​they want ​​to ​answer or not.

By reporting dodgy calls and messages, the telecoms company is able to investigate and block the mobile numbers used by fraudsters and can also use scam texts to help refine its blocking services, making it easier to identify and stop new trends faster in future.

Notes to eds

Daisy was created in partnership with AI creative agency faith.