Apate uses AI agents to bait scammers and collect fraud intelligence
Apate, an Australian startup spun out of Macquarie University research and founded in 2024, deploys thousands of AI agents that pose as victims to engage scammers across calls, messages, email and social platforms to surface accounts, wallets, phone numbers, impersonated brands and other operational details. The company says its agents have had 2.5 million conversations (equivalent to 17 years of scammers' time); customers include Commonwealth Bank of Australia and TPG Telecom; Apate raised an $8.15M seed round and is a finalist in TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield 200.