B2 – Upper Intermediate
Different forms of AI scams are on the rise and it isn’t easy to identify them. Many people fall victim to these scams but majority of their victims are old people. These older adults are the usual targets of AI-driven scams because of their trusting nature and their unfamiliarity with technology. However, there’s a particular old person who is willing to take these scam calls.
Let’s read the article and know more about Daisy. Also watch the video about it.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ai-grandma-daisy-uk-anti-fraud-scammers-virgin-media-o2
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “to turn the table on someone” mean? “The newest member of our fraud-prevention team, Daisy, is turning the tables on scammers – outsmarting and outmaneuvering them at their own cruel game simply by keeping them on the line.” Use it in a sentence.
- What is a “mugs list“? “The company told CBS they worked with known scam artists to train Daisy and used a tactic called number seeding to get Daisy’s phone number added to a list of online ‘mugs lists‘.” Use it in your own sentence.
- What does “out of the blue” mean? “In terms of tips and tricks, whether you’re shopping online, reviewing your emails, or receiving an out-of-the-blue phone call, it’s important to always remain vigilant.” Give 2 synonyms. Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What are your thoughts on Virgin Media O2’s AI grandmother?
- What is scambaiting? Give other examples.
- What other forms of online scams have you heard of or personally experienced?
- Do you know anyone who has been scammed? What happened?
- Share your thoughts on this, “Fraud is at epidemic levels, with organized gangs of fraudsters operating professional call centers which relentlessly target Brits every second of every day.“.
14 replies on “AI Grandma Fights Back Against Scammers”
What does “to turn the table on someone” mean?
I think it means to change the paradigm of someone or complicate the things for they.
The defender is turning the table on the scorer.
What is a “mugs list“?
Is a list of phone numbers that scammers use to call them.
Please, take my number out of the mug list.
What does “out of the blue” mean?
Something that is innusual and unexpected.
That new film is out of the blue comparing it with the previous ones.
What are your thoughts on Virgin Media O2’s AI grandmother?
I think that is a very good response for scammers because it trolls them and waste their time on the phone.
What is scambaiting? Give other examples.
Scambaiting is deceive people to rob their money or important information.
An other example can be make a deal with someone and disappear when you have to keep your word.
What other forms of online scams have you heard of or personally experienced?
Links that are not what they say they are; viruses…
Do you know anyone who has been scammed? What happened?
Yes. You contact your bank and hopefully you can take your money back.
Share your thoughts on this, “Fraud is at epidemic levels, with organized gangs of fraudsters operating professional call centers which relentlessly target Brits every second of every day.“.
I think that this is very true. Nowadays there are a lot of scams overt the internet and phone calls.
Welcome back to the Phone English Blog! You did a good job writing your answers.
Here is how you may write this sentence better:
Try and stay as consistent as you can moving forward.
What are your thoughts on Virgin Media O2’s AI grandmother
Personally, I think this approach is appropiate for the problem. It seems like an idea out of the box. In this case, Virgin Media O2´s is using hte same channel that scammers use to turn the table.
What is scambaiting? Give other examples.
Scambaiting is pretent to fall into the scammer fraud to waste their time or catch them. For instance, Daysi is a tool to waste until 40 minutes in a conversation.
What other forms of online scams have you heard of or personally experienced?
Couple weeks ago, a young guy called my mother pretending to be my nephew. He asks some whastapp passwords to her and took control of her phone. This is an example of other forms of online scams.
Do you know anyone who has been scammed? What happened?
If you read my last answer, you will know my mother story.
Share your thoughts on this, “Fraud is at epidemic levels, with organized gangs of fraudsters operating professional call centers which relentlessly target Brits every second of every day.“.
As far as I concerned, that´s absolutely true! And this is happing not only in UK but also en several countries around the worl. For instance, in Spain, I receive at least two unwanted call every day.
You are doing a good job continuing with your writing practice.
Here are minor corrections you can make in these sentences:
Until your next one!
Vocabulary questions:
1) The phrase “to turn the tables on someone” means to reverse a situation to your advantage, especially when you were previously at a disadvantage.
In the context of the sentence:
“Daisy is turning the tables on scammers – outsmarting and outmaneuvering them at their own cruel game…”
It means that Daisy is reversing the roles: instead of scammers tricking people, she is tricking them by wasting their time and frustrating them, using their own tactics against them.
After months of being bullied at work, Sarah finally turned the tables on her coworker by reporting his behavior to HR with solid evidence.
2)A “mugs list” is a slang term used to describe a list of people who are considered easy targets for scams.
After falling for a fake lottery scam, James suspected his number had been added to a mugs list, because he started receiving even more suspicious calls.
The phrase “out of the blue” means unexpectedly or without warning. It describes something that happens suddenly and without any prior indication.
Two synonyms: Unexpectedly and Suddenly
I hadn’t heard from Emma in years, and then she called me out of the blue to invite me to her wedding.
Discussion Questions:
I think Virgin Media O2’s AI grandmother, Daisy, is a clever and creative use of technology to tackle a serious problem—scams and fraud. Daisy is a fun, innovative, and socially beneficial application of AI. It’s a great example of using tech not just to solve problems, but to do it with a bit of personality and humor.
Scambaiting is the act of intentionally engaging with scammers—usually online or over the phone—with the goal of wasting their time, gathering information, or exposing their tactics. The idea is to turn the tables on scammers by keeping them occupied so they can’t target real victims.
Example:
Using fake bank accounts or websites: Some scambaiters create fake login pages or bank portals to trick scammers into thinking they’re getting money.
Pretending to be a victim: A person acts like they’re falling for the scam, asking lots of questions or giving fake information to keep the scammer talking.
There are many types of online scams, and they’re constantly evolving
Phishing Scams
Scammers send fake emails or messages pretending to be from trusted companies (like banks or delivery services) to steal personal information like passwords or credit card numbers.
Romance Scams
Someone pretends to be romantically interested in you online, builds trust, and then asks for money—often claiming an emergency.
Lottery or Prize Scams
You’re told you’ve won a prize or lottery—but you need to pay a fee or provide personal info to claim it.
I personally don’t know anyone who has been scammed, but like many people, I receive several scam emails. Most of them are phishing scams related to delivery services, with messages like “Your package is waiting,” “It’s arriving,” or “Click here to track your shipment.”
These emails are usually very generic — they don’t include your real name or any specific delivery details. In addition, the logos of the delivery companies are often easy to recognize as fake.
I also used to receive a lot of romance scams, where unknown women, usually claiming to be from Russia, showed interest in meeting or getting to know me.
Nowadays, we are living in a fascinating era in the IT sector. Machine learning, AI, automation, and electric machines are transforming our lives. We are potentially all connected through various types of social networks, and we think that we have the power and control at our fingertips, or rather, in the palm of our hand. With a simple mobile phone, we can buy a flight ticket, reserve a table in a restaurant, or video call a friend living in another part of the world. However, the problem is that we are also all exposed, and our data are everywhere, making it easier for fraudsters to access, steal, and use our information. Additionally, there is a significant generational gap between our elderly and the younger population, with older adults being less prepared to face these attacks and scamming calls. We should especially help older people recognize when someone is trying to scam them with phone calls or other forms of scams.
You did a very impressive job answering this lesson’s vocabulary and discussion questions.
Here is only one sentence you can slightly revise:
Enjoy your writing practice!
1. What are your thoughts on Virgin Media O2’s AI grandmother?
I think it is a great initative, this project make me smile. It is a great way to take back the problem of scammers.
2. What is scambaiting? Give other examples.
Scambaiting is a way to combat scammersby feigning interest and wasting their time. This way, we reduce their ability to attack others.
Other examples include feigning interest, asking strange questions, repeating questions, requesting further clarification,…
3.What other forms of online scams have you heard of or personally experienced?
“The man in the middle”, where the scammer provides you with a fake Wi-Fi network to intercept your communications and passwords. Other scams I’ve heard include fake calls from your bank asking for a password you received on your phone, which is necessary to access your account, since you don’t have access to it. In reality, they were trying to make a transfer from your account.
4.Do you know anyone who has been scammed? What happened?
My mother received a call from a scammer trying to change her gas bill. But the way to avoid this scam is to request a second call and send me the caller ID, as I mentioned her before. I was able to confirm it wasn’t a real company.
5.Share your thoughts on this, “Fraud is at epidemic levels, with organized gangs of fraudsters operating professional call centers which relentlessly target Brits every second of every day.“.
Today we live in a highly connected world, and in my opinion, we’re more naive than ever. When someone calls us, we should ask ourselves who, how, and why. Who’s calling us? How did they get our contact information? Why are they calling us? What could happen to us if we accept the offer? And finally, we must request a second call, never falling into the availability bias
Interesting take on this subject. Good job writing your answers!
Here is how you can revise this response:
Always practice writing.
1. to turn the table on someone: is that the things go against someone that have an advantage before. Ex: They thought they had us beaten, but we turned the tables on them
2. Mugs list: a list of people who is easy to cheat. Ex: They charged triple the price and added us to their mugs list.
3. Out of the blue: unexpected. Ex: He called me out of the blue after five years of silence
Great work on your vocabulary! Feel free to also answer the discussion next time so you can practice writing more.
Here is how you can revise this sentence:
Until next time!
Vocabulary
1 To turn the table on someone means to change the situation in your favor. That was an incredible play, he managed to turn the table on his opponent and kill his queen.
2 In this case a mug list is a list of people identified as a target because they are seen as easy to manipulate. I saw Juliana in a mug list, we have to warn her before she gets scammed.
3 Out of the blue means something unexpected. Synonims: Unexpected, without warning. Out of the blue he told me he has a brother, I have known him for 10 years and still didnt know.
Discussion
1 I think is a great way to waste the time of the scammers. The time they lose talking with the grandma is time they are not using to talk with actual people that have something to lose, but I think the response has to be harder, maybe finding a way to identify the scammers that the AI is talking to and sending the info to the authorities.
2 Scambaiting is the act of wasting the time of scammers while acting as the victim.
3 I think the most popullar scam is phishing because it can be done in a lot of different ways and areas and it targets vulnerable people that doesnt know are being scammed. Recentlly I have also heard about calls or even videocalls made by AI acting as someone you know asking for money for an emergency.
4 When I was a kid I lost my account of a video game because a teammate in a game sended me a link to get cheaper in-game currency in an external website, I had to enter my username and password and a few days latter I couldnt access my account with those credentials. Luckily, I talked with custumer suppport and was able to get it back.
5 I dont think it is at epidemic levels because apart from my videogame loss I dont know anyone who has been scammed, but I think with the rise of AI scamming can become automated. With only a few minutes of audio an AI will be able to supplant a people you know and it will not require an actual person doing the scamming.
Good job answering the vocabulary and discussion questions. You expressed your ideas well.
Here is how this sentence can be improved:
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this topic!
1- I think it is a good idea because often is difficut to detect when the scambaiters try to scam.
2- Scambaiting is when someone tries to steal you something. You can also scam in the street by playing some tricky games.
3- I only experienced the phone form or the email form.
4- what happens is that they can achieve your bank codes or social media password and then they can use it by stealing money.
5- I can not understand why the government can not identify the people who is frauding. If they could use their resources to these we will live pacefully and this kind of people will be in prision.
Welcome to the PE blog. May this exercise help you improve your writing skills in English even more.
Take a look at some better expressions you can use in the following sentences:
To more entries from you! Keep practicing your writing.