ScamBuster AI Tool Unveiled at Black Hat to Counter Email Scams

At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, Laurent Giovannoni, principal software engineer at threat‑intelligence firm Filigran, demonstrated ScamBuster, a free, open‑source artificial‑intelligence system designed to interact with email scammers on a victim’s behalf. The tool creates tailored personas that mimic the victim’s tone and style, engages the scammer in conversation, and encourages them to reveal details such as payment instructions or bank account information.

Giovannoni argues that conventional reporting—simply deleting suspicious messages—leaves no evidence for authorities and does not stop scammers from targeting others. By using ScamBuster, users can collect a paper trail, potentially aid investigations, and reduce the likelihood of further fraud attempts. The project is publicly available for anyone to deploy.