Airtel has informed the government and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that it has approached Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea with a proposal for a joint initiative aimed at uniting the telecom industry against the rising threat of fraud and scams. Airtel is urging all telecom operators to collaborate in addressing the growing danger of deceptive and malicious scams that target vulnerable individuals. In separate letters to these operators, Airtel cited data indicating that India recorded over 1.7 million cybercrime complaints in the first nine months of 2024, resulting in financial losses exceeding Rs 11,000 crore.
This call for action comes at a time when cybercriminals are employing increasingly sophisticated tactics, such as phishing links, fake loan offers, and fraudulent payment pages, leading to a surge in digital fraud and identity theft incidents.
Airtel has increased its efforts in the fight against digital spam and scams. In recent weeks, the company, led by Sunil Mittal, has rolled out a fraud detection solution designed to block rogue sites across various communication platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram.
In its letters to Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal and TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, Airtel stated, "However, given the recent alarming rise in phishing attempts and malicious URL-based scams targeting unsuspecting individuals, it became evident that more coordinated industry action was needed. These sophisticated fraud schemes often exploit the gaps in coordination between service providers".
Updating the telecom department and TRAI on its efforts, Airtel emphasised the need for united action against the growing threat of telecom fraud, spam, and scams. The company proposed launching a Joint Telecom Fraud Initiative on May 14, 2025, which would bring together all telecom service providers (TSPs) to collaboratively detect, prevent, and mitigate telecom fraud and scams across their networks through real-time fraud intelligence sharing and cross-network coordination.
Airtel also recalled that in October 2024, it had reached out to all TSPs with a proposal for a collaborative approach to tackle the issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). The proposal included mutual sharing of details regarding corporate connections used for commercial calling in a standardised format to enable proactive spam monitoring and mitigate any potential misuse.
Additionally, Airtel suggested establishing a centralised data-sharing platform similar to the existing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) system to enhance the industry’s collective ability to combat UCC without disrupting legitimate enterprise services.
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Inputs from PTI
