Brothers Build $7M Startup After AI Scam Targets Mom

A fake kidnapping call targeting their mother pushed two brothers to build a company that fights back against AI-powered fraud. Patrick and Ryan Coughlin have raised $7 million in seed funding and launched Savi Security, a real-time scam-detection app aimed squarely at ordinary consumers.

A Personal Incident Becomes a Business

About two years ago, Patrick Coughlin's mother called him, distraught, saying she had just received a phone call from a man claiming he had kidnapped Coughlin's sister. The caller used an AI-generated voice clone to make the threat sound convincing. The incident prompted the brothers to combine their expertise in cybersecurity and AI product development to take on the AI scam crisis. Patrick had been senior vice president of security products at Cisco at the time.

The experience is far from isolated. According to the FBI, Americans lost more than $893 million to AI-related scams last year. AI voice cloning allows a scammer to mimic a loved one's voice from as little as three seconds of audio scraped from social media or a public video. The fake voice typically asks victims to send emergency financial help, claiming to need it while traveling in a foreign country, after being arrested, kidnapped, or involved in a car accident.

The App and the Funding

Savi Security launched its iOS and Android app designed to protect people from digital threats before they engage, and also announced it has raised $7 million in seed funding, led by Acrew Capital, to accelerate development of its behavioral AI technology to screen calls, messages, and digital communications before users engage. The seed round also includes participation from Magnify Ventures, TTCER, and Resolute Ventures.

The product includes text protection, voicemail screening, live call monitoring, and a scam checker called Scamwise. Savi offers one subscription plan priced at $7.99 a month or $62.99 a year, covering unlimited family members, including parents, partners, children, and other dependants.

While the AI boom has delivered real benefits in areas like research and productivity, the same innovation has also handed an industrial-grade weapon to scammers and cybercriminals, with the cybersecurity industry responding with an overwhelming focus on governments and enterprises, leaving consumers exposed. Digital fraud is now the fastest-growing crime in America, with government estimates putting annual consumer losses at nearly $200 billion.

Acrew Capital partner Lauren Kolodny framed the investment in straightforward terms. "Governments and enterprises are investing in cyber defense, but consumers have missed out on innovation," she said. "We all need a new generation of protections for today's AI-powered threats. Savi has the mission, vision and technical depth the problem demands."

Sources:
TechCrunch: Savi's app aims to protect consumers from realistic AI scams
GlobeNewswire: Savi Security Launches App to Protect Families from AI Scams and Fraud
Arizona's Family: Brothers launch AI scam-protection app after mother targeted by voice-cloning fraud