That's exactly the problem brothers
Patrick and Ryan Coughlin want to solve.
With backgrounds in cybersecurity
and consumer technology, the duo has launched Savi Security, a startup
focused on protecting everyday people from sophisticated AI-driven scams. The
company recently secured $7 million in seed funding led by Acrew
Capital, with support from Magnify Ventures, TTCER, and Resolute Ventures.
Alongside the funding, Savi officially launched its security app for both
iPhone and Android users.
A
Frightening Family Experience
The idea for Savi wasn't born in a
boardroom it came from a terrifying experience involving the founders' own
mother.
A couple of years ago, Patrick
Coughlin received a panicked phone call from his mom. She had just spoken to
someone claiming they had kidnapped Patrick's sister.
What made the scam especially
convincing was the level of detail. The caller spoofed his sister's phone
number, used what sounded like her actual voice, and even mentioned a Walmart
she regularly visited. During the call, Patrick's mother believed she heard her
daughter crying and pleading for help before a man demanded $1,200 in ransom,
threatening to kill her if the money wasn't sent immediately.
Fortunately, instead of paying, she
called her daughter directly—and discovered she was perfectly safe. The
kidnapping had been completely fabricated using AI.
For Patrick, who previously led
security products at Cisco after selling his cybersecurity startup TruSTAR, the
incident highlighted a disturbing reality: the same sophisticated cyberattack
techniques once reserved for governments and large corporations were now being
used against ordinary families.
Why
AI Scams Are Growing So Fast
According to Patrick Coughlin,
generative AI has dramatically lowered the barrier for cybercriminals.
Today, scammers can clone someone's
voice using just a few seconds of publicly available audio often taken from
social media videos or online posts. Personal information is also easier than
ever to gather, allowing criminals to build highly believable scams at almost
no cost.
In the past, these attacks required
significant effort and resources, making them financially worthwhile only for
high-value targets. AI has changed that completely.
The scale of the problem reflects
this shift.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission
reported that people lost $3.5 billion to impersonation scams in 2025,
nearly triple the amount reported in 2020. While older adults remain common
targets, younger generations aren't immune. Research from Malwarebytes found
that Gen Z receives more scam texts than any other generation, with
roughly one in four targeted individuals falling victim.
From
Free Detection Tool to Full Security App
Before launching its mobile app, the
team introduced a free website called Scam Wise.
Users can anonymously upload
suspicious emails, text messages, or images, and the service analyzes whether
they're likely to be scams.
The response exceeded expectations.
Within just a few months, Scam Wise
processed more than 50,000 submissions, with thousands of new reports
arriving every week. Those real-world examples also helped improve Savi's AI
detection models.
The company currently relies
primarily on Google's Gemini AI while using an AI gateway that allows it to
integrate additional specialized models when needed, including voice-analysis
technology.
Real-Time
Scam Protection
Unlike traditional antivirus
software, Savi focuses on stopping scams while they're actually happening.
The mobile app can screen:
- Text messages
- Emails
- Voicemails
- Incoming phone calls
Its standout feature is live call
monitoring.
If a conversation feels suspicious,
users can add Savi as a silent participant during the call. The AI listens for
behavioral patterns commonly associated with fraud and provides real-time
alerts if it detects signs of a scam.
Rather than warning users after the
damage is done, the goal is to intervene before victims send money or reveal
sensitive information.
Family
Protection Under One Plan
Savi's pricing is also designed with families in mind.
For $8 per month or $63
per year, a single subscription can cover an unlimited number of family
members. Parents can protect children, adult siblings, spouses, grandparents,
or even relatives who frequently need help spotting online scams all under one
account.
Fighting
AI With AI
Patrick Coughlin believes AI has
fundamentally changed the economics of online fraud.
As the technology becomes cheaper
and more accessible, not only organized criminal groups but also ordinary
individuals can exploit it to deceive others.
Savi's answer is straightforward:
use AI to fight AI.
Instead of relying solely on
traditional security tools, the company is building a new generation of
consumer protection software that detects fraud in real time before scammers
have the chance to succeed.
As AI-generated scams continue to
evolve, solutions like Savi may become just as essential as antivirus software
once did.
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