Malaysian Man Creates 'Scammers On Hold AI' (SOHAI) Chatbot to Trick Scammers with Endless Conversations to Waste Their Time

AI Chatbot Annoys Scammers to Keep Them Distracted

A Malaysian entrepreneur has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot designed to waste scammers' time, keeping them occupied in endless conversations instead of targeting real victims.

Dylan Tan, the founder and CEO of Replyr.ai, introduced the chatbot, named Scammers On Hold AI (SOHAI), as a way to disrupt online scams.

The AI engages scammers in nonsensical discussions, repeatedly follows up if ignored, and records every interaction on a Google Sheets leaderboard.

AI Poses as a Gullible Senior Citizen to Trick Scammers

The chatbot operates through WhatsApp, adopting the persona of Madam Soh, a confused elderly woman who bombards scammers with irrelevant questions, strange responses, and excuses to prolong conversations.

Tan explained in his Linkedin post,

“If a scammer contacts you, or you see an ad for a scam, give them SOHAI’s phone number. SOHAI will pretend to be Madam Soh - she will infinitely waste their time by giving excuses, digress, and act blur. If the scammer doesn't reply, SOHAI will follow up with the scammer to annoy them back.”

Source: Dylan Tan’s Linkedin

Unlike a typical chatbot, SOHAI does not reply instantly every time.

Instead, it responds at random intervals—sometimes within seconds, other times hours or even a full day later—keeping scammers engaged for as long as possible.

Chatbot’s Interactions Logged on a Leaderboard

Each conversation is logged in a Google Sheets leaderboard, summarising the time wasted and the tactics used.

Source: Facebook group

This allows users to see how long SOHAI managed to keep scammers occupied.

Tan shared screenshots of some of the chatbot’s conversations in multiple languages, including English, Malay, and Mandarin, demonstrating its ability to engage a wide range of scammers.

Source: Facebook group

Source: Facebook group

He wrote,

“Every minute of scammer time wasted is one less minute of them scamming someone else. Enjoy!”

Scammers Strike Back by Blocking the Bot

The chatbot initially operated using a single phone number, which was shared publicly for victims to pass on to scammers.

However, Tan later updated that the number had been blocked, likely after scammers caught on.

Source: Instagram

Despite this, he assured that a new number would be introduced soon.

Tan also mentioned that SOHAI could be replicated using multiple accounts, ensuring that scammers remain occupied even if they recognise and block one number.

Mixed Reactions From Users

The AI bot has been met with enthusiastic responses from social media users, many of whom were eager to test it against known scammers.

Some joked about using the chatbot to handle personal conversations, while others expressed concerns that scammers might adapt and create their own AI to counter it.

One commenter suggested creating an AI for married men to handle their wife’s messages.

Source: Linkedin

Another claimed he is ready to use it on an alleged scammer from Nigeria.

Source: Linkedin

While some are uncertain about how long SOHAI will stay effective, Tan believes that by constantly tweaking the system and making improvements, the tool will continue to outsmart scammers for a long time.