The company, in the last 2.5 months, has alerted close to 252 million unique customers to these suspicious calls and has observed that there has been a 12% decline in the number of customers answering them. Six percent of all calls on the Airtel network have been identified as spam calls, while 2% of all SMSes have also been identified as spam. Interestingly, it has been observed that a staggering 35% of the spammers have used landline telephones.

Additionally, customers in Delhi have received the maximum number of spam calls, followed by customers in Andhra Pradesh and Western Uttar Pradesh. Delhi is also where the maximum number of spam calls have originated, followed by Mumbai and Karnataka. In terms of SMSes, the maximum number have originated in Gujarat followed by Kolkata and Uttar Pradesh and the maximum number of customers targeted have been from Mumbai, Chennai, and Gujarat.

As per the trends, 76% of all spam calls have been targeted at male customers. Additionally, distinct differences have been noted in terms of spam call frequency across age demographics. Customers in the age bracket of 36-60 have received 48% of all spam calls, while those in the 26-35 age bracket have been the second-most targeted, accounting for 26% of spam calls. Approximately only 8% of the spam calls have landed in the handsets of senior citizens.

The company’s findings have also shed light on the hourly distribution of spam activity. Spam calls commence from 9 am onwards and gradually escalate in volume as the day progresses. The peak of spam activity is observed between noon and 3 pm, during which the highest concentration of spam calls occurs. Moreover, there is a notable disparity in the frequency of spam calls between weekdays and weekends. The volume of these calls diminishes by around 40% on Sundays. Specifically, devices in the price range of 15,000 to 20,000 rupees are the recipients of approximately 22% of all spam calls.

By meticulously examining a multitude of parameters, the AI-driven system has been able to identify these unwanted intrusions in real time with remarkable accuracy. This groundbreaking initiative has firmly established Airtel as the first service provider in India to offer a comprehensive solution to the growing menace of spam, setting new industry standards for inclusive security measures that prioritizeExploring the Trends in Airtel’s Spam Report the privacy and convenience of its vast customer base.

Note to the Editor

The Government of India (GoI) has allocated 10-digit numbers with the prefix 160 for service and transactional calls. Customers can expect to receive calls from these 160-prefix series assigned to banks, mutual funds, insurance companies, stockbrokers, other financial institutions, corporates, enterprises, SMEs, and big and small businesses used for making transactional and service calls.

Additionally, those customers who have not opted for Do-not-disturb (DND) and have subscribed to receiving promotional calls will continue to receive them from a 10-digit number with the prefix 140.

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INDIA: Leading telecom operator Vi, today announced a significant step forward in protecting its users from spam. Starting today, the company is introducing a spam management solution powered by AI and ML. This new solution is designed to proactively detect and flag potential spam messages through a machine-based automated solution, helping Vi users maintain a secure and clutter-free mobile experience. Since its initial testing phase, the solution has already flagged over 24 million spam messages.

With spam messages on the rise, which are often used as a gateway to fraud, Vi’s Spam SMS solution will safeguard customers by identifying and managing unsolicited and potentially harmful text in real-time.

Speaking on the development, Jagbir Singh, CTO, of Vodafone Idea Limited, said: “As more customers embrace digital communication, we recognize the growing threat posed by SMS-based spams and potential scam attempts. Our AI-powered spam detection technology reinforces our commitment to customer safety by delivering proactive, real-time protection. Vi is focused on staying ahead of these threats and empowering customers with information to make their mobile experience safer.”

As part of its broader commitment to customer safety and experience, Vi is continuously working to develop solutions to curb spam, including voice calls, to ensure its users are further protected from unsolicited calls. These measures are in addition to various existing solutions and practices including making the mobile-app URL simple to use for filing spam complaints by enabling automatic pick up of spam content (SMS), sender number, and date, as well as whitelisting URLs in brand messages. Vi also uses insightful consumer feedback and complaints in conjunction with UCC (Unsolicited Commercial communication) detection, which identifies bulk call patterns (such as calls made from a single number to many distinct numbers) and limits their use to stop further abuse.

Recognizing the importance of customer education, Vi also regularly runs customer awareness campaigns to help users spot phishing attempts, report spam, and encourage overall caution. 

How Vi’s SMS spam solution works:

1. Real-time analysis: The system continuously analyzes incoming SMS messages using AI algorithms trained on millions of examples, identifying potential threats, including fraudulent links, unauthorized promotions, and identity theft attempts. Real-time monitoring allows for immediate action against suspicious activities.
2. Pattern Recognition: By leveraging sophisticated machine learning algorithms, the predictive system learns from incoming data patterns such as phishing links, unusual sender details, and phrases commonly used in spam messages to enhance its detection capabilities over time.
3. Spam tagging: Messages identified as spam will be tagged as ‘Suspected Spam’, to instantly warn the users, helping them make informed decisions about their communications. This intelligent approach not only enhances security but also ensures that genuine communications aren’t lost in a sea of unwanted messages.
4. Continuous improvements: Via Machine Learning, it will continually improve by adapting to new spam trends, improving accuracy and effectiveness. This means it evolves and adapts to new types of spam as they emerge, shielding users from new threats.

Benefits for customers

1. Enhanced safety: By flagging potentially harmful spam, the service empowers customers with the information of suspected spam messages, thus protecting them from potential phishing and scam attempts.
2. Seamless integration: The service is automatic and requires no setup, app installation, or payment from customers.

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PUNE: Bharti Airtel through its AI-powered spam detection solution has given much-needed relief to its customers in Maharashtra. In the last 7 days since its launch, the system, a first-of-its-kind solution by a telecom service provider, has been able to successfully identify 70 million potential spam calls and 1.2 million spam SMS in Maharashtra.

The solution, which is free of cost, has been auto-activated for all Airtel customers without them having to raise a service request or download an app. 

Commenting on the launch, George Mathen, Chief Executive Officer, Maharashtra and Goa, Bharti Airtel, said, “Every scam begins with a spam call. As a result, most people are reluctant to receive calls from numbers they do not recognize or to click on a link shared via SMS. With Airtel’s AI-powered solution, all such fears can be put to rest. 33 million Airtel customers in Maharashtra no longer have to worry about any such frauds since Airtel has empowered them with a defense mechanism that will alert them to all such spam calls and SMSes in real-time. Available only to Airtel customers, this solution will be one of the key differentiators compared to other service providers in the state. We are committed to working towards removing all annoying disturbances for our customers.”

Developed in-house by Airtel’s data scientists, the AI-powered solution uses a proprietary algorithm to identify and classify calls and SMSes as “Suspected Spam”. The network powered by a state-of-the-art AI algorithm analyses various parameters such as the caller or sender’s usage patterns, call/SMS frequency, and call duration amongst several others, on a real-time basis. By cross-referencing this information against known spam patterns, the system flags suspected spam calls and SMSes accurately. 

A dual-layered protection, the solution has two filters – one at the network layer and the second at the IT systems layer. Every call and SMS passes through this dual-layered AI shield. In two milliseconds the solution processes 1.5 billion messages and 2.5 billion calls. This is equivalent to processing 1 trillion records on a real-time basis using the power of AI.

Additionally, the solution also alerts customers to malicious links received via SMS. For this, Airtel has built a centralized database of blacklisted URLs and every SMS is scanned in real-time by a state-of-the-art AI algorithm to caution users from accidentally clicking on suspicious links. The solution can also detect anomalies such as frequent IMEI changes – a typical indicator of fraudulent behavior. By layering these protective measures, the company is ensuring its customers receive the maximum level of defense against the evolving landscape of spam and fraud threats.

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UNITED STATES: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has renewed its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to combat unsolicited communications, including email and text spam, scams, and illegal telemarketing. The MOU aims to promote cross-border collaboration between public authorities who are members of the Unsolicited Communications Enforcement Network (UCENet).

The FTC and FCC have signed the MOU to fight robocalls and other unsolicited communications that try to prey on consumers. The MOU is a non-binding instrument that facilitates information sharing, capacity building, and enforcement assistance among the partners. The MOU has been renewed and made evergreen, given the success of the collaboration under the original document.

“The FTC is committed to using all of its tools to fight robocalls and other unsolicited communications that try to prey on consumers,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “This scourge does not respect borders, and our recommitment to this MOU underscores the importance of international communication and cooperation to combat this problem.”

The UCENet MOU is part of the FTC’s continuing work to fight harms that can arise from unwanted messages. Unsolicited communications in the form of illegal and spoofed robocalls, text messages, and emails are often the source of scams that harm millions of consumers in the United States each year. The revised MOU has also been signed by UCENet partners in Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The FTC’s work in this area includes its recent Operation Stop Scam Calls initiative, which united federal and state law enforcement partners from across the United States in their fight against illegal telemarketing operations and the companies that facilitate their scams via lead generation and telecommunications services. The effort also targeted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate illegal robocalls every year, which often originate overseas.

The collaboration, information-sharing, and intelligence-sharing by UCENet MOU signatories serve to strengthen, enhance, and complement the work of the FTC and other domestic agencies fighting the scourge of unwanted and illegal telemarketing calls. The lead staffer on this matter was Kristina Mulligan in the Commission’s Office of International Affairs.

The FTC works with counterpart agencies to promote sound antitrust, consumer protection, and data privacy enforcement and policy. The renewed MOU between the FTC and FCC is a significant step towards combating unsolicited communications and protecting consumers from scams and illegal telemarketing.

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