Rather than delete or warn users of scam, Netsafe and DDB New Zealand have created an email AI assistant which will waste the time of scammers until they stop.
Re:scam works by using artificial intelligence to respond convincingly to scammers, wasting their time until they stop. If you have been sent some scam, you can forward it to Re:scam who will do all the hard work for you.
The inventive idea came from New Zealand online safety brand Netsafe and DDB New Zealand, which teamed up to build a ‘weapon’ against online scam using AI.
Many brands are starting to use artificial intelligence as a way to solve issues for others, with Facebook’s latest efforts to prevent suicide utilising the technology.
Martin Cocker, CEO of Netsafe said: “We were really concerned about the growth of predatory email phishing, while victims remained essentially powerless. We feel the scale of the problem far outweighs the attention it receives, and wanted to create a tool that would empower people to take action.”
The tool was launched two weeks ago and, according to DDB, Re:scam has been forwarded over 170,000 emails already.
Damon Stapleton, chief creative officer at DDB said: “When we began our partnership with Netsafe, we never anticipated the level of success we have experienced. As Re:scam was originally designed as a solution for people in New Zealand, the global demand has been a big surprise. Our team has barely slept! It has been incredibly exciting to see how much Re:scam is helping people to fight back against cyber-criminals and the demand for this service has been staggering.”
The immediate success was boosted by a PR effort by Mango Communications.
DDB NZ: Netsafe 'Re:scam'
