Saved 6.1 mn users from online fraud in Jharkhand-Bihar circle, claims Airtel

Ranchi, Jun 20 (PTI) Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Friday claimed it protected over 6.1 million users in Jharkhand and Bihar from falling prey to online fraudsters within 37 days of launching its nationwide AI-powered fraud detection system.

The company announced significant progress in its mission to protect customers in Jharkhand and Bihar from rising online fraud.

"As part of the nationwide rollout of its AI-powered fraud detection system, Airtel has successfully safeguarded more than 6.1 million users across the state within just 37 days of launching its advanced fraud detection system," Airtel said in a statement.

The advanced system scans and filters links across SMS, social media accounts, e-mails and other browsers, it said.

This leverages real-time threat intelligence to examine over one billion URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) daily and blocks access to harmful sites in under 100 milliseconds.

For instance, if a user receives a suspicious message that reads: "Your package is delayed. Track it here: ... And if the unsuspecting user clicks on the link, Airtel's system also clicks into gear. It instantly scans the link, and if flagged as suspicious, it blocks access. The user is redirected to a warning message that reads: "Blocked! Airtel found this site dangerous!" Commenting on the initiative, Sujay Chakrabarti, CEO of Jharkhand and Bihar, said, "We are confident that our solution will offer comprehensive protection to customers in Jharkhand against cyber threats, allowing them to explore the digital landscape with confidence." Fraudsters increasingly target users through phishing links, fake deliveries and spurious banking alerts, it said.

The AI-driven platform delivers fraud warnings in the user's preferred language, including Hindi, making it highly effective for the state's diverse population. This multilingual support is especially impactful in districts with low digital literacy or where English is not widely used, the statement added.

The solution operates silently in the background, requires no installation and is offered free of cost, it said. PTI NAM NN