Airtel’s anti-fraud measures slash financial losses by 70%, validated by MHA’s I4C data

The telco launched India’s first AI-powered spam detection in 2024, followed by a world-first malicious link blocker in 2025, both auto-enabled for users to prevent fraud and phishing across calls, SMS, and messaging apps

Bharti Airtel’s efforts to combat digital fraud have delivered significant results, with cybercrime incidents on its network showing a sharp decline, according to data shared by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Based on the latest analysis by I4C, Airtel recorded a 68.7% reduction in the value of financial losses and a 14.3% decrease in overall cybercrime complaints on its network. The data compares figures from September 2024, just before the launch of Airtel’s anti-spam and fraud detection platform, with those from June 2025 — offering a clear indicator of the platform’s effectiveness.

Industry-first AI innovations

Airtel launched India’s first network-integrated AI-powered spam detection solution in September 2024, marking a milestone in the telecom industry’s fight against spam and scams. This was further strengthened in May 2025 with the world’s first malicious link detection solution integrated directly into the network — capable of identifying and blocking dangerous URLs across SMS, calls, and messaging apps in real time.

The service, auto-enabled for all Airtel mobile and broadband users at no extra cost, proactively protects customers from phishing, financial fraud, and cyber threats without requiring additional apps or tools.

Airtel reaffirms commitment to digital safety

Commenting on the achievement, Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Airtel, said: “We are on a mission of eliminating Spam and financial frauds for our customers. In the past one year, our AI-powered network solutions have identified over 48.3 billion spam calls and blocked 3.2 lakhs fraudulent links. However, we see this as small steps in a much larger fight. We will continue to innovate and invest heavily in this area until our networks are free of digital spam and scam.”

“The impact shared by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) - Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) encourages us tremendously and validates our efforts in this mission. I would like to commend the MHA I4C and DoT for their initiatives to curb spam and fraud and we will look forward to collaborating deeply with the authorities to eliminate the threats of cyber-crimes & frauds.”

The endorsement from I4C highlights the growing role of telcos in supporting national cyber safety efforts, as Airtel continues to lead the way in building secure, AI-enabled digital networks.