TechBBN TECH

AI bots are now scamming the scammers

Anti-cybercrime groups are deploying lifelike bots that pose as real victims, tying up scammers' time; the con artists are now the ones being conned.

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on The Weekend Shift
Published 2:49 AM ET, Sunday, October 11, 2026

Photo: Tedder · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

▶ As it aired · Tech

Watch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from The Weekend Shift at 2:49 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Wired's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance

First reported by Wired: “AI Is Getting Really Good at Messing With Cybercriminals”.
Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 2:49 AM ET on The Weekend Shift, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
Topics: AI.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

WiredAI Is Getting Really Good at Messing With Cybercriminals

What BBN said about it

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentAnti-cybercrime groups are now using lifelike AI bots posing as victims, so scammers waste hours chatting with software instead of robbing real people.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the scammer's best customer is a robot that never pays?
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentYes. Somewhere a criminal is being ghosted by a chatbot. Finally, a use for the thing that isn't my fault.

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