Airtel Develops AI-Based Solution to Prevent Phishing and Fraud Through Messaging: Report

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Airtel Develops AI-Based Solution to Prevent Phishing and Fraud Through Messaging: Report

Bharti Airtel, one of India’s largest telecommunications companies, has developed a new AI and machine learning-based solution designed to detect, prevent, and eliminate phishing, spam, and fraud through messaging. Bharti Airtel is currently testing the solution in collaboration with HDFC Bank, a leading Indian financial institution.

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“Airtel has established direct connectivity with HDFC to help secure end-to-end SMS connectivity and flag any other route, the company said in the letter. It has also been in talks with the banking industry and other entities to demonstrate the solution,” according to an ETTelecom report.

Airtel’s AI-based anti-spam filter

The solution uses an anti-spam filter that can detect and block up to two million messages per day, the report quoted a letter addressed to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman PD Vaghela, dated April 27,

The problem of phishing and cyber fraud through unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) has been a major concern for TRAI and other financial regulators. It leads to financial losses estimated at Rs 1,000-1,500 crore every month. Therefore, TRAI has mandated telcos to deploy distributed ledger technology (DLT) to curb fraud and spam messages and also asked them to deploy AI-based solutions to tackle the menace of financial fraud/phishing.

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Brand and telemarketer tagging, header and URL checks, and P2P spam reduction

Airtel’s solution sits outside the mandated DLT process and has been deployed over the past two to three months. It tags the brand and telemarketer so that there is no misuse of the header or template.

Headers are the shortcode that appears in the sender ID for promotional or transactional messages, and templates refer to a predefined message format that brands register with the telco. The solution also has a feature to protect customers from getting any fraud or spam messages from the application to person (A2P) or person to person (P2P) route.

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As per the letter, the anti-spam solution is designed with rules and checks based on the combination of header and URL in the message or call to action (CTA). Airtel has also imposed a cap on more than 100,000 numbers to detect UCC and reduce P2P spam and has proactively suspended more than 130,000 templates, including templates that were susceptible to misusing the HDFC brand name.

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Extension of the solution to other entities in the banking industry

“We submit that such practices can be replicated in the industry, and we are willing to engage and extend support to TRAI to curb unsolicited commercial communication in the country,” Bharti Airtel said in the letter, according to the report.

The development of this AI-based solution is a significant step towards preventing phishing and fraud through messaging and will provide a safer environment for mobile users.

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