In an Australian banking first, CommBank is collaborating with cyber-intelligence firm Apate.ai to harness near real-time scam intelligence and help protect Australians from harm.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank) today unveiled a new weapon in the fight against scams: a fleet of thousands of AI-powered bot profiles, deployed by Apate.ai – a cyber-intelligence firm and spin-out from Macquarie University. These AI-bots are engineered to engage scammers, gather critical intelligence and disrupt scam operations – with near real-time scam intelligence harnessed by CommBank to safeguard both our customers and the wider Australian community.
“This is about flipping the script,” said James Roberts, CommBank’s General Manager of Group Fraud. “Scammers are increasingly using AI to target Australians – we’re turning the tables by using AI to fight back. Every minute a scammer is engaging with a bot, is a minute they're not targeting an Australian. The near real-time intelligence being gathered is a game-changer in how we help to protect our customers and the broader community.”
Every day, Apate.ai deploys thousands of conversational AI bots to disrupt scammers targeting unsuspecting Australians, via text-based conversations and voice calls. This expanded and increasingly sophisticated bot network follows a successful pilot program announced by Macquarie University in late 2024.
When a scammer calls or texts, sophisticated bots engage them in extended conversations, gather intelligence, and feed near real-time insights directly into CommBank’s scam control systems and the broader cross-sector anti-scam ecosystem.
“We’re on a mission to dismantle the business models of scammers around the world. Our bots share near real-time intelligence to our partners like CommBank to fight scams, helping to shield consumers and businesses and making it harder for scammers to operate,” said Professor Dali Kaafar, CEO & Founder of Apate.ai.
“Our system is based on a “Honeypot” strategy. In collaboration with our telco partners, Apate.ai operates a vast and constantly growing network of dedicated telephone numbers connected to the telcos networks and designed specifically to be discovered and targeted by scammers. When a scammer dials or messages one of these numbers, they actually engage in conversations with one of our AI-powered bots and not a person,” Professor Kaafar added.
Mr Roberts emphasised that protecting Australians from scams requires a united, cross-sector approach.
“At CommBank, we’re focused on investing in innovative technologies to help combat scams and strengthen Australia’s broader anti-scam ecosystem. Our initiatives focus on enhancing cybersecurity, raising public awareness, and collaborating with industry leaders to build a safer digital environment for all Australians.”
Phone and text scams remain Australia’s biggest threat
In 2024, phone scams accounted for the highest overall financial losses and were more likely to result in significant individual losses, according to National Anti-Scams Centre data about contact methods used by scammers.1
During the same period, text messages were the second most common contact method used by scammers, with investment scams responsible for the highest losses via this channel.2
Intelligence in action
CommBank is using intelligence gathered by Apate.ai in near real-time to help protect our customers and the broader Australian community.
This intelligence helps CommBank to identify emerging scam tr