Who is Dazza?
Dazza is an AI character. He is not a real person, and his voice is computer-generated. On the show he plays a retired sparky: friendly, a bit forgetful, very chatty, with a dog called Barnaby.
When a scammer rings, Dazza picks up and takes his time. He hunts for his glasses, misplaces the card and heads off on a story about the dog.
Why? Every minute a scammer spends on the phone with Dazza is a minute they are not spending on a real person, like someone's mum.
How it works
- A scammer rings. The call comes in on a line that exists for exactly this.
- Dazza answers. The AI keeps the conversation going, one slow tangent at a time.
- The call is recorded. The callers are real scammers. Dazza is the AI on our side of the line.
- Identifying details are bleeped. Names, numbers and anything else that could identify someone are taken out.
- The funniest calls go on YouTube. New episodes are on the channel.
Think you are being scammed?
- Hang up. Do not give out money, card details, passwords or remote access.
- Ring the organisation back on a number you find yourself, such as the one on their official website, your bank card or a bill. Never use a number the caller gave you.
- If you have lost money, contact your bank straight away.