Dali Kaafar (Apate.AI): 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Dali Kaafar is an influential cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur, best known as the Founder and CEO of Apate.AI, a pioneering Australian cybersecurity startup headquartered in Macquarie Park, New South Wales. Apate.AI is renowned for leveraging cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) to proactively combat online scams by deploying conversational AI bots that engage and disrupt scammers in real-time. Under Kaafar's leadership, Apate.AI has gained international recognition for transforming how organizations detect, intercept, and dismantle scam operations, protecting millions of individuals and businesses from financial fraud. This article explores key facets of Dali Kaafar’s career, Apate.AI’s mission, technology, impact, and vision.

1. Background and Academic Involvement

Dali Kaafar is not only a tech entrepreneur but also a respected academic, serving as Executive Director of the Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub. His extensive research background in cybersecurity profoundly informs his leadership of Apate.AI. Kaafar combines academic rigor with commercial innovation, fostering breakthroughs that seamlessly integrate advanced AI with practical cybersecurity applications. His dual role enables a unique synergy between cutting-edge research and market-ready solutions designed for real-world scam disruption.

2. Founding and Mission of Apate.AI

Kaafar co-founded Apate.AI to address the growing global epidemic of scams using innovative AI technology. The core mission is to dismantle the business models that enable scammers worldwide by turning their tactics against them. Apate.AI's platform engages scammers through lifelike AI conversational bots that waste scammers’ time and simultaneously extract critical intelligence — disrupting scams before victims can be harmed. This mission-led approach underpins the company’s focus on transparency, proactive defense, and continuous adaptation to evolving threats.

3. Pioneering AI-Powered Scam Disruption

Apate.AI was the first in the world to deliver real-time scam intelligence combined with active disruption capabilities. Unlike traditional reactive methods, Apate deploys fleets of conversational AI bots that proactively interact with scammers on voice calls and text channels like WhatsApp and Telegram. These AI bots not only tie scammers up in hours-long conversations but also gather sensitive intelligence such as bank account details, crypto wallets, and scam scripts, facilitating an unprecedented depth of insight into scammer behaviors and strategies.

4. Technology and AI Sophistication

Under Kaafar's guidance, Apate.AI has developed highly sophisticated AI bots that simulate realistic human interactions remarkably well — including different accents, slang, personalities, and natural response times to avoid detection by scammers. Some conversations with scammers have lasted over 50 minutes, frustrating fraudsters and causing them to inadvertently reveal crucial operational details. This combination of advanced natural language processing and strategic engagement sets Apate apart as a next-generation anti-scam solution.

5. Industry Partnerships and Impact

Apate.AI’s technology has been incorporated by several major Australian entities, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank) and telecom giant TPG Telecom. Through these partnerships, Apate’s AI bots have already diverted hundreds of thousands of scam calls, saving millions of dollars in potential losses. For example, integration with CommBank’s fraud prevention system has provided near real-time intelligence, helping identify new scam typologies, block scam attempts earlier, and protect vulnerable customers at scale.

6. Funding and Expansion

In 2025, Apate.AI successfully secured $2.5 million in seed funding led by OIF Ventures alongside participation from Investible, enabling accelerated product development and international growth. The capital injection supports hiring in engineering and go-to-market teams and expanding partnerships with financial institutions, telecom providers, and governments. Additionally, the company is actively extending its footprint beyond Australia into key international markets such as the UK and Southeast Asia to tackle scams on a global stage.

7. Role as Thought Leader and Speaker

Dali Kaafar is regarded as a leading voice in AI and cybersecurity, frequently speaking at high-level technology and leadership forums. For instance, he was featured as a keynote speaker at the National AI & Cybersecurity Leadership Summit 2025 in Australia. His speeches emphasize the importance of proactive AI-driven strategies in combating evolving online fraud threats and underscore the vital role of education alongside technological innovation.

8. Ethical AI Use and Privacy Measures

Kaafar emphasizes that Apate.AI operates with strong commitments to privacy, regulatory compliance (including GDPR and CCPA), and ethical AI deployment. The platform anonymizes and encrypts data to ensure no personally identifiable information (PII) of real users is stored or exploited. The bots are trained exclusively to engage with scammers, and rigorous security protocols safeguard intelligence from misuse, ensuring that anti-fraud measures maintain legal and ethical integrity.

9. Unique Challenges and Innovations

One of the ongoing challenges Kaafar highlights is staying ahead of scammers as they continuously evolve their tactics, including the hypothetical use of AI themselves. Apate.AI adopts a dynamic learning approach, refining AI models in real-time based on scammer interactions. The company also celebrates certain milestones, such as tracking the volume of frustrated scammers’ reactions — including colorful expressions — demonstrating the adversarial yet innovative nature of this security endeavor.

10. Future Vision and Industry Influence

Looking ahead, Kaafar envisions Apate.AI scaling to become the global intelligence infrastructure for scam prevention. The goal is to make scams unprofitable and increasingly difficult to conduct by systematically disrupting scammer operations at their source, worldwide. By deepening collaborations with governments, law enforcement, telcos, banks, and other stakeholders, Apate aims to build a safer digital ecosystem for consumers everywhere. This vision positions Apate and Kaafar at the forefront of the worldwide fight against financial fraud and cybercrime.

Conclusion

Dali Kaafar’s pioneering work through Apate.AI represents a paradigm shift in combating online scams, leveraging artificial intelligence not just as a detection tool but as an active defense and intelligence-gathering weapon. With a strong foundation in academic research and a clear mission to dismantle scammer business models, Kaafar has built a unique platform that protects consumers, supports industry partners, and disrupts global fraud networks in real-time. As scams continue to evolve and pose growing threats, Kaafar’s leadership and vision offer a compelling blueprint for the future of cybersecurity — where proactive deception shields the vulnerable and turns the tables on criminals. His work prompts us to consider: how can emerging AI technologies be further harnessed to secure and empower digital societies worldwide?