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“It’s a bad day to be a scammer,” said VMO2 in its announcement
O2 has unveiled its new, unique weapon in its fight against scammers: Daisy, an AI-powered assistant designed to keep fraudsters talking and waste their time. As part of Virgin Media O2’s “Swerve the Scammers” campaign, Daisy’s mission is to distract scammers with realistic, rambling conversations, helping protect potential victims while raising awareness about fraud.
Developed with the help of popular YouTube scambaiter Jim Browning, Daisy can independently handle scam calls. Her lifelike conversations, peppered with stories about family or hobbies like knitting, have kept fraudsters on the line for up to 40 minutes. By doing so, she prevents scammers from targeting real people and highlights common tactics used in fraud.
Research from O2 shows that 67% of Brits are worried about being targeted by scammers, with one in five experiencing fraud attempts weekly. While 71% would like to fight back, over half (53%) said they wouldn’t engage directly due to the time it takes. Daisy bridges that gap, acting as a tireless scambaiter on behalf of consumers.
“The newest member of our fraud-prevention team, Daisy, is turning the tables on scammers – outsmarting and outmanoeuvring them at their own cruel game simply by keeping them on the line,” said Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2 in a press release.
“But crucially, Daisy is also a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren’t always who you think they are. With scammers operating fulltime call centres specifically to target Brits, we’re urging everyone to remain vigilant and help play their part in stopping fraud by forwarding on dodgy calls and texts to 7726 for free.”
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Below are O2’s tips to stay vigilant and safe from scammers:
‘STOP: If you receive a call out of the blue for someone claiming to be from O2, think about what you’re being asked to do. Does it feel right? Are you being asked for personal data or a code over the phone? If you have any suspicion that you might be speaking to a scammer, the best thing to do is hang up and call us back by dialling 202 from your O2 phone.
SEND to 7726: Worked out you might have spoken to or received a text from a scammer? Don’t just ignore it, take a few seconds to forward on to 7726. It spells SPAM on your phone’s keypad and is the free number to use to report to us so we can investigate. It helps keep you safe and allows us to block fraudsters numbers and prevent or shut down similar scams faster in future.
SPEAK OUT: Let your friends and family know about the scam. By telling others, you can help keep them safe and ensure they’re never caught off guard.’
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