Airtel MD writes to banks, NPCI, RBI to join forces against digital frauds; moots collaborative measures

Time of India

8 hours ago

Telecom operator Airtel has approached over 40 banks, as well as
RBI
and NPCI, proposing a close collaboration and a unified front to curb digital frauds, including sharing intelligence over repository of known fraudulent financial domains.
Airtel has dialled NPCI, proposing a "closer collaboration" to create a repository of known malicious financial domains, to enable proactive blocking of malicious and rogue sites and to build a multi-layered defence to combat digital frauds.
The Sunil Mittal-led telco has also done a similar outreach with major banks, including
SBI
,
HDFC
and others, sources said.
The company has also reached out to the
Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) for "collaboration" to create a repository of known fraudulent financial domains.
Airtel has also favoured regulatory consultations, offering its support to the RBI in building frameworks that hold OTT platforms accountable for consumer safety -- especially in the context of financial communication, according to the letter seen by PTI.
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It has also mooted joint public education campaigns to raise awareness about evolving digital fraud tactics and safe practices.
In a separate letter to NPCI, Airtel said it believes there is a strong potential for a partnership between Airtel and NPCI to further strengthen the security of India's digital payment systems.
An email sent to Airtel did not elicit a response.
"The NPCI has been at the forefront of securing digital transactions in India, deploying cutting-edge AI/ML-based models that offer an advanced real-time Fraud Risk Monitoring and Management solution (FRM) that generates alerts and allows banks to detect and prevent fraud across all online NPCI products.
"Airtel commends this proactive approach and NPCI's efforts in reducing the growing risks of fraud in an increasingly digital financial landscape, where threats are constantly evolving," Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Airtel, said in a communication to Dilip Asbe, MD and CEO, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Informing about the launch of Airtel's fraud detection solution to combat consumer fraud via malicious links, the telco said the solution can significantly complement NPCI's existing fraud monitoring initiatives.
By blocking access to malicious websites and phishing links at the point of access, Airtel can help prevent users from unknowingly engaging with fraudulent sites that could compromise their financial data, the telco said.
"Additionally, during these programs as well as our overall telco acquisition and experience, we believe that we have strong signals that could lead to identification of potentially fraudulent transactions or users," the Airtel top honcho wrote, adding that the company believes there is strong potential for a partnership between Airtel and NPCI to further strengthen the security of India's digital payment systems.
"We propose the following actions to enhance this partnership... Closer collaboration between Airtel and NPCI to create a repository of known fraudulent financial domains, enabling proactive blocking of these malicious sites and creating a multi-layered defence against digital fraud," said the letter dated May 16.
Airtel has also pitched for joint awareness campaigns and workshops.
The telecom operator proposed that joint awareness campaigns can leverage the combined reach of Airtel and NPCI to educate users on safe online practices, recognising phishing attempts, and staying protected against emerging digital fraud tactics; while the workshops would identify and productise a counter fraud solution -- in the process helping reduce financial frauds in the country.
"Through this collaboration, NPCI, Airtel, and the banking sector can collectively create a more robust and resilient framework for reducing fraud and building greater confidence in India's digital financial services. Airtel remains committed to doing its part and would be happy to provide further technical details and explore how we can work together with the NPCI to enhance the security and integrity of India's digital payments ecosystem," Airtel said.
In the letter to RBI Governor
Sanjay Malhotra
, Vittal lauded the efforts of the Reserve Bank of India in fighting digital fraud, especially the recent initiative to collaborate with regulated entities and the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) on the development of MuleHunter.ai.
"This powerful AI-based system has already demonstrated its ability to identify mule accounts used to route illicit funds. By analysing user behaviour and transaction patterns, banks can now flag and disable suspicious accounts more efficiently, thereby disrupting fraud at the transactional layer," Vittal wrote.
However, Airtel said these systems remain largely reactive, detecting threats after fraudsters are already embedded in the financial ecosystem.
"Airtel believes that our fraud detection solution can complement these efforts by stopping fraud at the very first step: the moment a user attempts to access a malicious site," Airtel said.
Stating that India's financial system is the cornerstone of national growth, trust, and international standing, Airtel said protecting this system demands collaboration between all stakeholders -- regulators, service providers, and financial institutions alike.
"Airtel remains committed to doing its part and would be happy to provide further technical details and explore how we can work together with the RBI in this critical fight against digital fraud," Vittal wrote.
Citing the "mounting security risks on OTT platforms", Airtel said achieving SMS-like level of protection on OTT platforms is "impossible" since fraudulent links sent over these platforms are harder to detect and block before they reach users, making OTT channels the weakest link in the fight against online scams.
Additionally, the lack of traceability and compliance requirements on OTT apps, such as data sovereignty, data confidentiality, encryption standards, and system access for regulators create serious security concerns.
This issue has been further exacerbated by the increasing reliance of financial institutions on OTT (communications) channels for sending transactional and service messages, to sidestep the regulatory requirements governing telecom networks, Airtel said, cautioning that this heightens security vulnerabilities.
"In this context, and in light of the ongoing RBI consultation on additional factor authentication (AFA) for digital payments, we wish to emphasise that financial transactions must continue to be conducted over secure telecom networks. Telecom networks offer a level of protection and oversight that OTT platforms currently lack, thereby helping to mitigate fraud risks and enhance overall consumer safety," Vittal said.
Sources said the telco has received a favourable response to the collaboration pitch from private and state-owned banks.
Earlier, Airtel had also reached out to
Reliance Jio
and Vodafone Idea with a proposal for a joint telecom fraud initiative to unite the industry against rising fraud and scams on telecom networks.
In separate letters to the telcos, it had cited data 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.
Airtel had urged all telcos to collaborate and collectively address the growing threat of deceptive and malicious scams targeting vulnerable individuals.
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