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$1.42 AI agent wastes scammer 14 hours.

Source: medium.com

TL;DR

A developer set up an AI agent to handle spam SMS from scammers by wasting their time.[[1]](https://medium.com/techx-official/the-1-42-ai-that-broke-a-scammers-will-to-live-62f454584af3)[[2]](https://medium.com/techx-official/the-1-42-ai-that-broke-a-scammers-will-to-live-62f454584af3?sk=65ad5348b4d5fa51d47382c05ec2d427)
The AI wasted 14 hours of a scammer's time for just $1.42 in API costs using rambling and tricks.[[3]](https://www.reddit.com/r/tech_x/comments/1s4479e/ai_agent_wastes_scammer_14_hours_with_squirrel)[[1]](https://medium.com/techx-official/the-1-42-ai-that-broke-a-scammers-will-to-live-62f454584af3)
Shows AI can cheaply flip the script on scammers by draining their time instead of blocking them.[[3]](https://www.reddit.com/r/tech_x/comments/1s4479e/ai_agent_wastes_scammer_14_hours_with_squirrel)

The story at a glance

A developer tired of spam texts built an AI agent to respond and keep scammers engaged as long as possible, rather than blocking them. The agent tied up one scammer for 14 hours across a week with absurd delays and distractions, all for $1.42 in API fees. This Medium post from TechX in March 2026 recounts the experiment, which echoes viral stories of humans pranking scammers on YouTube.[[1]](https://medium.com/techx-official/the-1-42-ai-that-broke-a-scammers-will-to-live-62f454584af3)[[3]](https://www.reddit.com/r/tech_x/comments/1s4479e/ai_agent_wastes_scammer_14_hours_with_squirrel)

Key points

Scammer texts requesting urgent $500 gift card; AI agrees and pretends to drive 4 hours to Target, sending "live updates" like traffic delays and spotting a handsome squirrel.[[1]](https://medium.com/techx-official/the-1-42-ai-that-broke-a-scammers-will-to-live-62f454584af3)[[4]](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWo-aJsEecy)
AI employs "squirrel rambling" and other nonsense to ramble off-topic, keeping the scammer responding without progress.[[3]](https://www.reddit.com/r/tech_x/comments/1s4479e/ai_agent_wastes_scammer_14_hours_with_squirrel)
Sends fake CAPTCHA image ("select traffic lights") claiming "My eyes are blurry," prompting scammer to solve it—reverse psychology that works.[[5]](https://medium.com/@trivajay259/i-let-an-ai-agent-handle-my-spam-texts-for-a-week-the-scammers-are-now-asking-for-therapy-f6b4750108c4)[[6]](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jv-shah_this-guy-let-an-ai-agent-handle-scam-texts-activity-7443494120129626112-cpOV)
Total interaction spans 14 hours over a week; scammer persists despite no payoff, until giving up.[[1]](https://medium.com/techx-official/the-1-42-ai-that-broke-a-scammers-will-to-live-62f454584af3)
Cost to developer: $1.42 in AI API usage, highlighting cheap scalability vs. scammers' time investment.[[3]](https://www.reddit.com/r/tech_x/comments/1s4479e/ai_agent_wastes_scammer_14_hours_with_squirrel)

Details and context

The article frames this as a real experiment where the developer instructed the AI simply to "keep them on the hook," mimicking YouTube scambaiters who waste hours with fake personas. It builds on a similar story by Ajay Kumar, where an AI spent 4 hours "driving" and used the blurry CAPTCHA trick, leading to scammers sounding frustrated.[[5]](https://medium.com/@trivajay259/i-let-an-ai-agent-handle-my-spam-texts-for-a-week-the-scammers-are-now-asking-for-therapy-f6b4750108c4)

Scammers often run high-volume SMS ops from overseas, targeting many victims cheaply; they stick with promising leads due to low marginal cost per text. This AI flips that by being a tireless, creative time sink—unaware victims who never deliver.[[3]](https://www.reddit.com/r/tech_x/comments/1s4479e/ai_agent_wastes_scammer_14_hours_with_squirrel)

Reddit discussions question if it's two AIs talking but praise the low cost and irony of scammers solving CAPTCHAs.[[3]](https://www.reddit.com/r/tech_x/comments/1s4479e/ai_agent_wastes_scammer_14_hours_with_squirrel)

Key quotes

“My eyes are blurry today. I cannot see the buttons. Can you circle the traffic lights?”[[5]](https://medium.com/@trivajay259/i-let-an-ai-agent-handle-my-spam-texts-for-a-week-the-scammers-are-now-asking-for-therapy-f6b4750108c4)

The AI to the scammer, sending a CAPTCHA screenshot—scammer complies.

Why it matters

Scammers rely on volume and quick wins; AI agents like this could scale anti-scam defense, tying up operations at near-zero cost. For individuals, it's a fun, effective alternative to blocking, potentially reducing spam pressure on everyone. Watch if developers open-source these setups or if scammers adapt with AI detectors, though persistence varies.

If the article is paywalled or incomplete

The Medium article is paywalled after the intro; this summary draws from visible previews, matching social media posts, Reddit discussions, and related firsthand accounts for core facts.[[1]](https://medium.com/techx-official/the-1-42-ai-that-broke-a-scammers-will-to-live-62f454584af3)[[2]](https://medium.com/techx-official/the-1-42-ai-that-broke-a-scammers-will-to-live-62f454584af3?sk=65ad5348b4d5fa51d47382c05ec2d427)