Airtel launches new AI-powered fraud detection system to beat spam

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To fight spam, Indian telecom provider Airtel has launched a new AI-powered fraud detection solution that will help identify and block malicious websites across all communication Over-The-Top (OTT) apps and platforms including emails, browsers, OTTs like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, SMSes etc., in real time.

The safe service will be seamlessly integrated with, and auto-enabled for, all Airtel mobile and broadband customers at no additional cost. The way it works is that when a customer tries to access a website flagged as malicious by the telecom provider's advanced security system, the page load is blocked, and customers are redirected to a page explaining the reason for the block.

The new system comes at a time when the threat of online fraud is growing everyday as a result of the widespread use of digital platforms across the country and thus posing a serious risk to consumers.

Unfortunately, fraudulent schemes have evolved far beyond mere OTP frauds and deceptive calls, with many individuals having fallen victim to malicious online scams.

With the new AI-powered, multi-tiered intelligence platform, the telecom provider aims to safeguard customers from the full spectrum of scams and fraud. The system will conduct domain filtering across all platforms and block the link across devices.

Commenting on the initiative Gopal Vittal, vice chairman and managing director, Bharti Airtel, said, "Over the last few years, we have come across several instances where unsuspecting customers have been defrauded by ingenious criminals of their hard-earned money. Our engineers have tried to solve this problem through the launch of our Fraud Detection Solution. We believe this will provide our customers total peace of mind while browsing the internet without the worry of getting scammed. Our AI based tool scans internet traffic, checks with global repositories and our own database of threat actors in real-time and blocks fraudulent websites. Our solution has already reached a remarkable level of accuracy in the 6 months of trials. We will continue working relentlessly until we have made our networks completely safe from spam and scam."