Savi’s Innovative App Shields Consumers from Sophisticated AI-Driven Scams, Including Kidnap Ransom Threats

Brothers Patrick and Ryan Coughlin, both experienced professionals in the technology sector, have launched an innovative startup aimed at addressing a growing concern in digital security.

Savi Security is committed to shielding individuals from a new wave of highly convincing AI-generated scams, which can manifest through text messages, emails, or phone calls.

The startup has successfully secured $7 million in initial funding and is set to release its mobile application for iPhone and Android devices soon. The funding round was spearheaded by Acrew Capital, with contributions from Magnify Ventures, TTCER, and Resolute Ventures.

The idea for the company originated from a troubling incident involving the founders’ mother.

Approximately two years ago, Patrick Coughlin’s mother reached out to him in distress, reporting that she had received a call from a man claiming to have abducted Coughlin’s sister. At that time, he was the senior vice president of security products at Cisco. He had joined Cisco after Splunk acquired his cloud security startup TruSTAR for a reported $82 million in May 2021. In 2024, Cisco itself bought Splunk.

During the call, the mother saw her daughter’s number on her phone. Coughlin recounted that she thought she heard his sister’s voice saying, “Mom, they’ve got me.” Then came a terrifying scream, followed by instructions, “You’ve got to do what they tell you.” A man then demanded $1,200 to prevent the supposed murder of her daughter in a nearby Walmart parking lot.

The impersonator had successfully spoofed Coughlin’s sister’s number, mimicked her voice, and referred to a Walmart location she often visited.

Fortunately, the mother remained calm enough to call her daughter, quickly realizing that the alleged kidnapping was nothing but an AI-driven scam.

Coughlin felt traumatized by the incident.

“After calming my mom down, I couldn’t help but wonder: What has fundamentally changed in the cybercrime landscape that allows such sophisticated tactics to now target everyday consumers?” he reflected.

The answer lies in the emergence of affordable and powerful AI tools, including large language models (LLMs).

Before the advent of AI, targeting consumers with scams was considered too costly. It demanded extensive research and technical tools for voice spoofing, making such attacks primarily a threat to wealthy organizations or government bodies.

“There’s a significant shift happening with AI in the hands of cybercriminals,” Coughlin states. The financial barrier for executing these scams has diminished, and the information needed to conduct them has become readily accessible.

“A voice can be cloned using as little as three seconds of audio from a publicly available social media post. We all leave traces online — like while filming a child’s football game and sharing it on social media,” he continued.

The Federal Trade Commission reported last month that individuals losing money to imposter scams collectively amounted to $3.5 billion in 2025, a threefold increase compared to 2020. Though older individuals frequently report being targeted, there is research suggesting that Generation Z may also be particularly vulnerable. A study from 2025 by Malwarebytes found that Gen Z encountered text scams more than other demographics and fell for them around 25% of the time.

In response to these issues, the Coughlin brothers designed a real-time intervention system.

They piloted their concept through a free platform named Scam Wise. This anonymous service requires no registration; users can simply upload suspicious texts, emails, or images to assess their legitimacy.

“We launched it about four months ago and have since received 50,000 submissions, with numbers increasing by about 10,000 weekly,” Coughlin explained.

Scam Wise provided valuable, real-world data to enhance Savi’s AI-driven scam detection technology. Currently, they are primarily using Google’s Gemini but have developed their software on an adaptable AI platform that allows access to other models for specific needs, such as voice detection.

As of Tuesday, Savi unveiled a premium mobile app for iOS and Android, designed to screen messages, voicemails, and calls for potential scams.

While various products (like those from Malwarebytes) offer similar features, Savi’s standout capability is its live-call monitoring. During a potentially fraudulent phone call, users can include the app’s service as an observer. Savi then monitors the conversation for indicators that may reveal a scam.

Savi’s pricing model is also distinctive. The service charges $8 per month, or a discounted rate of $63 annually, allowing coverage for an entire family with no user limit. This means one plan can protect children, partners, parents, or anyone else that the primary account holder chooses to include.

According to Coughlin, the rise of AI has altered the landscape for fraud. “We’re lowering the barriers for deception. As a result, not only organized crime but also average individuals are being lured into fraud.”

Savi Security positions itself as a modern variant of antivirus software, employing AI technology in real time to combat the threats posed by cybercriminals.