Founder Launches DetectifAI After Grandfather's Deepfake Scam Experience
Tarini Padmanabhuni founded DetectifAI after her grandfather was scammed by a deepfake voice mimicking his brother. The incident highlighted the growing threat of AI-generated fraud, particularly among older adults who lost twice as much money in such scams last year compared to younger age groups. According to FBI data, Americans lost nearly $900 million to AI-driven scams in 2025 alone. DetectifAI aims to combat this issue by developing compact AI models that can run directly on smartphones rather than relying on cloud-based solutions used by competitors like Microsoft and Nuance. The company licenses its software development kit (SDK) to phone manufacturers, aiming for deepfake detection to become a standard feature in mobile operating systems. DetectifAI already has early revenue from financial institutions in India handling over 100,000 calls monthly using AI voice agents with built-in fraud prevention. The startup is also exploring additional licensing opportunities and recently conducted a successful beta test of its WhatsApp-based detection tool.
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Topics: cybercrime deepfake scams startup voice detection