Ever wished you could waste a scammer’s time as much as they waste yours? Well, now you can, without even lifting a finger! Enter Scammers On Hold AI (SOHAI), an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot that keeps scammers busy while you sit back and enjoy the show.
The Mastermind Behind the Madness
Dylan Tan, the Malaysian co-founder of Replyr.ai, a company specializing in AI-powered chatbots for businesses, recently introduced his latest side project in the popular Entrepreneurs and Startups in Malaysia Facebook group. And let’s just say, it’s brilliantly mischievous!
He decided to fight back in the most amusing way possible, by creating a chatbot designed to waste scammers’ time indefinitely, keeping scammers occupied in an endless loop of nonsense and frustration.
And the best part? It’s free, it’s hilarious, and anyone can use it.
SOHAI: How It Works
Instead of blocking or ignoring scammers, SOHAI offers a better, more satisfying approach: waste their time so they can’t scam others.
Here’s how it works:
- When you receive a scam message, rather than engaging, simply pass the scammer SOHAI’s number.
- SOHAI takes over, pretending to be a confused and gullible character—like a senior citizen named “Madam Soh” who bombards scammers with endless questions, bizarre responses, and distractions.
- If the scammer ignores it, SOHAI even follows up, just like scammers do to their victims.
- It responds at random intervals, sometimes instantly, sometimes hours or even a day later, to keep the scammer baited for as long as possible.
- Every conversation is logged onto a Google Sheets leaderboard, tracking:
- The total time wasted
- A summary of the exchange
- The tactics used to frustrate the scammer
SOHAI: The Multilingual Scam Slayer
One of SOHAI’s biggest flexes? It’s at least trilingual, handling scammers in English, Malay, and Mandarin. This means it can go head-to-head with scammers from different regions, ensuring that no scammer is safe from its time-wasting antics.
Tan attached several screenshots showing SOHAI in action against three scammers and the Google Sheets summarising each conversation.
Malaysians Lose RM54 Billion In A Year to Scam
In a staggering revelation, the 2024 State of Scam Report by Gogolook highlights that Malaysians collectively lost US$12.8 billion (RM54 billion) to scams within a single year. This loss, equivalent to 3% of the nation’s GDP, paints a worrying picture of the rising prevalence and sophistication of scams in the digital era.
A growing number of Malaysians are reporting frequent encounters with scams. According to the report, 74% of respondents admitted to coming across scam attempts at least once a month. Alarmingly, 43% of those surveyed noted a significant increase in scam attempts over the past year. This surge points to a growing scam ecosystem, where fraudsters refine their techniques and target more individuals across various digital platforms.
Read: Malaysians Lose RM54 Billion In A Year To Scams – 3% of GDP Gone!
The Ultimate Payback
“Every minute of scammer time wasted is one less minute of them scamming someone else. Enjoy!” said Tan in his Facebook post.
And that’s exactly the point. Instead of feeling frustrated or helpless when a scammer texts you, SOHAI gives you a satisfying way to fight back, by turning the tables on them.
So, the next time a scammer tries to bait you, don’t just block them. Pass them SOHAI’s number and let the AI have some fun.
After all, who knew fighting scammers could be this entertaining?
Related articles:
1 in 5 In M’sia Had Fallen Victim to Internet Scam, Use These Anti-Scam Apps To Protect Yourself!
Malaysians Lose RM54 Billion In A Year To Scams – 3% of GDP Gone!
Police Warn of Wedding Invitation Malware Scam Targeting Phones
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