We have been witnessing different types of cybercrimes happening with people. Some fall prey to fake recruitment scams on WhatsApp, and some fall prey to fake calls from criminals who pretend to be bank employees. Nearly all such cyber frauds and crimes begin with a simple phone call or SMS. Telecom company Bharti Airtel has now decided to step in this growing menace and try to curb it to keep its users safe.
Airtel believes that as your network provider, it enables reliable connectivity, which implies that you get to enjoy a superior network experience. But, at the same time, its consumers should also feel secure while using their phones.
What Is Airtel Doing?
Airtel CEO Goptal Vittal in a mail to its consumers said, "For the last 6 months, we have used our Network Intelligence and Al to analyse call patterns to accurately identify spammers on the network. This list keeps growing and so this exercise will be a continuous effort. Once identified, we tag/mark everyone of these numbers so that you automatically receive a 'Suspected Spam' alert, when getting a call from such numbers."
Vittal added, "At the same time, you will also get a 'Suspected Spam' alert on SMSes with malicious links or fraudulent content in them. And in the background, we will continue to work at identifying verified scammers and permanently blocking them from our network. Our new solution makes us India's 1st Spam Fighting Network and we hope you will feel more confident and secure every time you receive that spam call or message."
Consumers Will Have To Do Something?
Vittal in his mail stated, "You do not have to do anything. This is an in-built service on our network and using it will be an entirely seamless experience for you. No apps to download, no features to enable, no permissions to grant, and no extra charges to pay."
He added, "Our aim is to make these alerts a natural part of your mobile experience, so that each time you receive a call or SMS, you remain vigilant for the "Suspected Spam" indicator."