Airtel Cracks Down on Online Fraud in Mumbai: Shields 2.1 Million Users in Real Time

Pranav Birje | Senior Correspondent

Mumbai, July 3rd, 2025: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”) has announced significant progress in its mission to protect customers in Mumbai from rising online frauds. As part of the nationwide rollout of its AI-powered fraud detection system, *Airtel has successfully safeguarded more than 2.1 million users across the state within just 50 days of launching its advanced fraud detection system.*

Automatically enabled for *all Airtel mobile and broadband customers, the advanced system scans and filters links across SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, E-mail and other browsers.* It leverages real-time threat intelligence to examine over 1 billion URLs daily and blocks access to harmful sites in under 100 milliseconds.

For instance, if a resident receives a suspicious message that reads: “Your package is delayed. Track it here: “http://www.tracky0urparcell.com”. And if the unsuspecting resident, then clicks on the link, Airtel’s system also clicks into gear. It instantly scans the link and if flagged as suspicious, it blocks access. The user is redirected to a warning message that reads: “Blocked! Airtel found this site dangerous!” All this instantaneously. This real-time interception prevents users from falling victim to all kinds of frauds.

*Commenting on the initiative, Aditya Kankaria, CEO – Mumbai, Bharti Airtel,* said “At Airtel, customer safety is at the heart of everything we do. With the launch of our AI-powered fraud detection solution in Mumbai, we are taking a decisive step toward securing our users against evolving digital threats. This innovation is deeply embedded within our network, offering proactive protection without requiring any action from the customer’s end. As digital usage continues to grow, we are proud to lead from the front in building a secure, resilient, and trustworthy digital ecosystem for millions of users across the state.

With Mumbai ranked as one of India’s most digitally advanced cities, the threat of online fraud has grown. Fraudsters increasingly target users through phishing links, fake deliveries and spurious banking alerts. Airtel’s solution acts as a statewide digital shield, protecting families, senior citizens, homemakers, students and first-time smartphone users alike.

The AI-driven platform delivers fraud warnings in the user’s preferred language, including Marathi, making it highly effective for the city’s diverse population. This multilingual support is especially impactful in districts with low digital literacy or where English is not widely used.

The solution operates silently in the background, requires no installation and is offered free of cost. Mumbai is at the forefront of digital adoption — from online banking to government e-services — and Airtel’s initiative plays a critical role in creating a safer digital ecosystem across the city. Whether it’s a working professional, a homemaker, or a student. Airtel helps make every digital interaction safer.

In the last 50 days of the launch, Airtel has blocked more than 203,145 malicious links and shielded 123 Million users across the country.