Vodafone rolls out new scam fighting AI tool

The system is now included in Voda’s digital security service called Secure Net Mobile, and is built directly into the network. It works automatically in the background by analysing incoming calls, spotting suspicious behaviour and flagging high‑risk numbers to the customer. 

If the call is determined as looking dodgy, customers will receive an on‑screen alert telling them it is a potential scam call.
By Andrew Wooden,Deputy Editor
Vodafone’s Secure Net Mobile also includes advanced parental controls, 24/7 ID monitoring to help guard against identity theft, and real‑time virus and malware protection. “With Scam Call Protection joining these existing tools, Secure Net Mobile provides a unified defence that protects customers at every touchpoint - from incoming calls to online activity - without requiring additional apps or complex setup,” states the release.

“Scam calls are becoming increasingly harder to spot, and it’s easy to feel caught off guard,” said Rob Winterschladen, Consumer Director at VodafoneThree. “Scam Call Protection on Vodafone Secure Net Mobile gives customers an extra layer of reassurance - constantly working in the background to monitor calls, and flagging known and suspected scam calls. The introduction of Scam Call Protection strengthens our commitment to provide comprehensive built‑in digital security, helping people feel safer, more informed and more in control of their digital world.”

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Lots of operators are using AI to combat a deluge of at least annoying and potentially financially ruinous scam calls. 

Last month Virgin Media O2 said it has used AI to label more than 1 billion suspected scam and spam calls to O2 customers via its system called Call Defence, which was developed in partnership with voice solutions outfit Hiya. 

Similarly, it kicks in whenever a customer receives a call from an unknown number, and uses ‘adaptive AI’ to analyse phone number behaviour to work out if it’s likely to be a scam or spam call. If found guilty, customers are warned with a label on their phone screen, and it also outright blocks known fraudulent calls.

Late last year UK regulator Ofcom acknowledged that many mobile service providers have worked hard in recent years to prevent scam messages, but called on the industry as a whole to "do even more."

This took the firm of imposing some specific regulations on mobile operators – which includes things like requiring operators of person-to-person messaging services to set volume limits on pay-as-you-go SIM cards to make it hard for scammers to message lots of numbers at once, and blocking numbers used by scammers, based on reports from customers and third parties, such as law enforcement agencies.

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Some survey data released with the announcement claimed that 50% of UK mobile users received a suspicious message, either via SMS or Apple's iMessage in the period from November 2024 to February last year.

Source: https://www.telecoms.com/