Airtel Kenya has launched a ground-breaking artificial intelligence (Al) powered Spam Alert Service, which will be available to all its subscribers at no cost.
The service, which offers Airtel smartphone and feature phone customers real-time alerts for suspected spam SMS messages, requires no additional application downloads and is automatically activated for all Airtel customers.
Spam in this context refers to unsolicited SMS messages to phones, often from fraudsters and scammers. The messages are usually socially engineered and potentially lead to harvesting of data, spreading malware and swindling of money from unsuspecting mobile users. Furthermore, the spam messages are also characterised of unsolicited promotional marketing messages which are oftentimes annoying.
With Kenya’s mobile phone penetration on the increase, spam messages have become a widespread issue, targeting an expanding demography of unsuspecting individuals. Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans often receive unsolicited nagging promotional SMS or calls.
Further, they also receive duping messages and calls from con artists who have mastered the art of stealing from unsuspecting individuals. In these communications, users are asked to click on links and provide personal information which could end up leading to them being defrauded. Currently, customers have to rely on third party software to flag spam messages.
In response, Airtel Kenya has launched an innovative Al-powered solution that classifies suspicious SMS messages as “Suspected SPAM.”
Without reading specific SMS messages, the Al analyses in real time over 250 parameters, including the sender’s usage patterns such as SMS frequency and geographical spread of targets.
The Airtel Al Spam Alert Service is designed to filter all SMS through a proprietary dual-layer protection: one layer at the network level and the other at the IT systems level, processing over 18 million messages, each in 2 milliseconds.
Additionally, the software alerts customers of malicious weblinks received via SMS. For this purpose, a centralized database of blacklisted URLs is maintained, and by scanning every SMS in real time the Al system can warn users against accidentally clicking on suspicious links.
Subscribers of the Airtel SIM services will access the Al-powered spam alert service as a value-added feature of their subscription at no extra cost.
Speaking at the launch of the Airtel Al Spam Alert Service in Nairobi, Airtel Kenya Managing Director, Ashish Malhotra, said: “At Airtel, we are committed to providing innovative solutions that enhance our customer experience. The Al spam alert service is the first of its kind in the Kenyan market and it fosters our dedication towards groundbreaking solutions aimed at better customer experience. With the new Al-powered spam alert, we are enabling our customers to be more vigilant to fraud attempts on their phones and to have a better experience of our services.”
To report fraud, Airtel customers should dial the USSD code *100# and select option 3. Report Fraud.
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