SINGAPORE / SYDNEY, June 2025 — Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank) has launched an advanced fraud prevention programme powered by thousands of artificial intelligence bots. Developed in partnership with Apate.ai, a cyber-intelligence firm spun out of Macquarie University, the initiative represents a significant leap forward in the application of AI for digital fraud defence.
The initiative centres on a vast network of conversational AI bots engineered to mimic human interaction and lure scammers into extended, unproductive exchanges. These bots not only waste scammers’ time but also collect near real-time intelligence that is directly integrated into CommBank’s scam detection infrastructure.
“This is about flipping the script,” said James Roberts, General Manager of Group Fraud at CommBank. “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.”
Thousands of these bots are now deployed daily by Apate.ai, engaging fraudsters through both text-based conversations and voice calls. The operation leverages a honeypot strategy, whereby a growing network of telephone numbers — designed to be discovered by scammers — routes inbound calls and messages to AI bots instead of real people.
“We’re on a mission to dismantle the business models of scammers around the world,” said Professor Dali Kaafar, CEO and founder of Apate.ai. “Our bots provide near real-time insights to partners like CommBank, helping shield consumers and businesses while making it harder for scammers to operate.”
The deployment follows a successful pilot conducted in late 2024 and now feeds intelligence not only into CommBank’s own systems, but also into Australia’s broader anti-scam ecosystem, which includes telecommunications providers, banks, and public agencies. According to the bank, this collective intelligence approach is helping identify scam patterns faster and more accurately than traditional reactive methods.
Roberts added that a unified response is crucial to tackling the growing threat landscape. “At CommBank, we’re investing in innovation and partnerships to enhance cyber resilience and support a safer digital environment for all Australians”, he said.
The programme complements CommBank’s broader scam prevention initiatives, including biometric authentication, advanced transaction monitoring, and real-time scam alerts. Together, these efforts form a multi-layered defence strategy aimed at pre-empting attacks before they impact customers.
With scams growing more sophisticated and targeting vulnerable populations through AI voice cloning, phishing, and social engineering, CommBank’s offensive approach is valuable in a region facing with surging digital threats. As banks across Asia-Pacific rethink their defences, the integration of AI-driven deception technologies may become an increasingly vital tool in the cybersecurity arsenal.
