Savi Security launches AI scam detection app after founder’s mother received fake kidnapping call
After an AI-generated kidnapping call that demanded $1,200, Savi Security launched an iOS/Android real-time scam detector in July 2026, targeting spoofed phone calls, texts and voicemails, alongside a $7M seed led by Acrew Capital. Co-founders Patrick and Ryan Coughlin say voice cloning can be done from as little as ~3 seconds of audio from public social media posts.
Savi Security launched a consumer app for iPhone and Android in July 2026 designed to detect AI-generated scams in real time, including spoofed phone calls, texts, and voicemails. The company simultaneously announced a $7 million seed funding round led by Acrew Capital, with participation from Magnify Ventures, TTCER, and Resolute Ventures.
The startup was founded by brothers Patrick and Ryan Coughlin. Patrick previously served as senior vice president of security products at Cisco — which acquired Splunk in 2024 — and had earlier founded cloud security startup TruSTAR, acquired by Splunk for a reported $82 million in 2021. Ryan held consumer product roles at Apple and Spotify.
The company’s origin traces to an incident involving the founders’ mother, who received a call appearing to come from her daughter’s number. The caller played what sounded like her daughter’s voice saying she had been kidnapped, followed by a demand for $1,200. The scammer had spoofed the daughter’s phone number, cloned her voice, and referenced a Walmart she regularly visited. The mother called her daughter directly and confirmed she was safe — the entire incident was AI-generated.
Patrick Coughlin noted that cheap generative AI tools have made it possible to clone a voice from as little as three seconds of audio taken from a public social media post, dramatically lowering the cost of executing sophisticated scams against ordinary consumers. The FTC reported that imposter scams cost Americans $3.5 billion in 2025, triple the 2020 figure.
Before launching the paid app, Savi tested its detection model through a free anonymous tool called Scam Wise, which received 50,000 submissions in roughly four months. The app primarily uses Google’s Gemini but is built on an AI gateway that can incorporate other models.
Savi’s most distinctive feature is live call monitoring: during a suspicious call, users can add the app as a listener to detect behavioral indicators of fraud in real time. The app is priced at $8 per month or $63 per year and covers an unlimited number of family members under a single plan.