Latest news with #SunilMittal-led
India.com
11-06-2025
- Business
- India.com
Bad news for Sunil Mittal, DoT penalises Bharti Airtel for…, with Rs…
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has fined Airtel with Rs 1,01,000 for failing to comply with subscriber verification norms outlined in its license agreement. This penalty was imposed after a Customer Application Form Audit conducted in April, which identified lapses in Airtel's customer verification process. According to the license agreement, telecom operators are required to thoroughly verify customer details before enrolling them as subscribers and adhere to the DoT's guidelines. To ensure compliance, the DoT routinely conducts audits of Customer Application Forms. During the April audit, Airtel was found to have violated these verification rules which led to the imposition of the penalty. In response, Airtel stated in an exchange filing that it will not contest or appeal the fine and has confirmed they will pay the penalty. Airtel In fight Against Digital Fraud 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. 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. (With Inputs From PTI)
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bharti Airtel MD writes to banks, NPCI, RBI to join forces against digital frauds; moots collaborative measures
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. 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 "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.
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Airtel MD writes to banks, NPCI, RBI to join forces against digital frauds; moots collaborative measures
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. Live Events 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 "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. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
India.com
26-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
Sunil Mittal's Airtel's BIG call to Mukesh Ambani's Jio, Vodafone Idea, BSNL to fight with…, may save Rs 110000000000 lost in…
Airtel has notified the government and telecom regulator TRAI about its proposal to collaborate with Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea on a joint initiative to combat the increasing telecom fraud and scams. The company has called for a united industry effort to face the rising number of malicious scams that target vulnerable individuals. In separate letters to the telecom operators, Airtel highlighted data that shows India registered over 1.7 million cybercrime complaints in the first nine months of 2024 which resulted in financial losses of around Rs 11,000 crore. The call for action comes at a time when cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated tactics like phishing links, fake loan offers, and fraudulent payment pages, leading to a surge in digital fraud and identity theft incidents. Airtel has upped the ante on the war on digital spams and scams, and the last few weeks have seen the Sunil Mittal-led telco rolling out fraud detection solution to block rogue sites across communication OTT apps, and platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram and others. '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,' Airtel wrote in letters to Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal and Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti. Updating the telecom department and Trai on its efforts, Airtel said that to combat 'this growing threat' of telecom frauds, spams and scams and in the spirit of unified industry action, it has once again reached out to TSPs with a proposal to launch a Joint Telecom Fraud Initiative on May 14, 2025. 'This initiative would bring together all TSPs to collaboratively detect, prevent, and mitigate telecom fraud and scams across our networks through real-time fraud intelligence sharing and cross-network coordination,' Airtel said in the letters. Airtel recalled that in October of 2024, it had written to all Telecom Service providers (TSPs) with a proposal to adopt a collaborative approach to address the growing issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). The proposal emphasised the mutual sharing of details of corporate connections used for commercial calling in a standardised format to enable proactive spam monitoring and mitigate any potential misuse. 'We also proposed the establishment of a centralised data-sharing platform akin to the existing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) system to enhance our collective ability to combat UCC without disrupting legitimate enterprise services,' Airtel said. Meanwhile, Airtel Vice Chairman and MD Gopal Vittal will soon reach out to customers on the issue of financial frauds and scams that have 'become a regular threat for Indians'. Sources said the proposed mailer outreach by the top executive to customers will outline the various initiatives by Airtel, including an AI-powered solution launched last year to identify and mark suspicious spam calls and SMSes, and will also highlight new fraud detection solutions that will check for suspicious links across all Over the Top (OTT) apps and platforms, including social media apps, chat apps and messaging services and block it in real-time. Vittal will caution customers that over the last year, scam attempts have evolved into something much more organised and dangerous. 'Fraudsters today are targeting people not just through calls and texts but also through chats, emails, social media apps and other platforms,' he said. Fraudsters send messages that sound urgent or worrying, pretending to be from a bank, electricity provider, or even a delivery company, just to get users to click on a link. 'And these links look absolutely genuine, almost impossible to tell apart from the real ones. Once you click, they extract your personal and financial information and use it to scam you. We are seeing an alarming surge in such threats in the last few days,' he added. Talking about the new solution, Vittal assures customers that whenever they are on the Airtel mobile network or connected to Airtel Wi-Fi, this added layer of protection will be active by default. (With Inputs PTI)
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Airtel approaches Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea on joint telecom initiative against fraud
New Delhi: Airtel has informed the government and regulator Trai that it has approached Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea with a proposal for a joint initiative to unite the industry against rising telecom fraud and scams. Airtel has also urged all telcos to collaborate and collectively address the growing threat of deceptive and malicious scams targeting vulnerable individuals. In separate letters to the telcos, it cited data that India recorded over 1.7 million cybercrime complaints in the first nine months of 2024, resulting in financial losses exceeding ₹11,000 crore. The call for action comes at a time when cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated tactics like phishing links, fake loan offers, and fraudulent payment pages, leading to a surge in digital fraud and identity theft incidents. Airtel has upped the ante on the war on digital spams and scams, and the last few weeks have seen the Sunil Mittal-led telco rolling out fraud detection solution to block rogue sites across communication OTT apps, and platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram and others. "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," Airtel wrote in letters to Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal and Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti. Updating the telecom department and Trai on its efforts, Airtel said that to combat "this growing threat" of telecom frauds, spams and scams and in the spirit of unified industry action, it has once again reached out to TSPs with a proposal to launch a Joint Telecom Fraud Initiative on May 14, 2025. "This initiative would bring together all TSPs to collaboratively detect, prevent, and mitigate telecom fraud and scams across our networks through real-time fraud intelligence sharing and cross-network coordination," Airtel said in the letters. Airtel recalled that in October of 2024, it had written to all Telecom Service providers (TSPs) with a proposal to adopt a collaborative approach to address the growing issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). The proposal emphasised the mutual sharing of details of corporate connections used for commercial calling in a standardised format to enable proactive spam monitoring and mitigate any potential misuse. "We also proposed the establishment of a centralised data-sharing platform akin to the existing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) system to enhance our collective ability to combat UCC without disrupting legitimate enterprise services," Airtel said. Meanwhile, Airtel Vice Chairman and MD Gopal Vittal will soon reach out to customers on the issue of financial frauds and scams that have "become a regular threat for Indians". Sources said the proposed mailer outreach by the top executive to customers will outline the various initiatives by Airtel, including an AI-powered solution launched last year to identify and mark suspicious spam calls and SMSes, and will also highlight new fraud detection solutions that will check for suspicious links across all Over the Top (OTT) apps and platforms, including social media apps, chat apps and messaging services and block it in real-time. Vittal will caution customers that over the last year, scam attempts have evolved into something much more organised and dangerous. "Fraudsters today are targeting people not just through calls and texts but also through chats, emails, social media apps and other platforms," he said. Fraudsters send messages that sound urgent or worrying, pretending to be from a bank, electricity provider, or even a delivery company, just to get users to click on a link. "And these links look absolutely genuine, almost impossible to tell apart from the real ones. Once you click, they extract your personal and financial information and use it to scam you. We are seeing an alarming surge in such threats in the last few days," he added. Talking about the new solution, Vittal assures customers that whenever they are on the Airtel mobile network or connected to Airtel Wi-Fi, this added layer of protection will be active by default.
