Chandigarh, Jun 18 (PTI) Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Wednesday said it has protected more than 2.25 million users in Punjab from falling prey to online fraudsters within 35 days of its nationwide roll-out of an AI-powered fraud detection system.

Airtel has achieved significant progress "in its mission to protect the customers in Punjab from rising online frauds", the company said in a statement.

The company has successfully safeguarded more than 2.25 million users across the state within just 35 days of launching its advanced fraud-detection system.

Airtel on May 15 launched a fraud detection solution that identifies and blocks malicious websites across all communication Over-The-Top (OTT) apps and platforms including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, email, and others in real time.

Auto-enabled for all Airtel mobile and broadband customers, the advanced system scans and filters links across SMSes, 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 user receives a suspicious message that reads: "Your package is delayed. Track it here: ... And if the unsuspecting user 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!" This real-time interception prevents users from falling victim to all kinds of frauds, the company said.

Across the country, Airtel has blocked more than 188,000 malicious links and shielded 86 million users, according to the statement.

"We are thrilled to advance our efforts in combating all emerging digital threats. Today, we are pleased to introduce the world's first AI-driven fraud detection solution integrated into our network infrastructure. We are confident that this solution will serve as a significant differentiator and provide a completely new, safe, and secure digital experience for customers in the Punjab," Anupam Arora, CEO, upper north, Bharti Airtel, said.

According to the company, fraudsters increasingly target users through phishing links, fake deliveries and spurious banking alerts. Cities like Chandigarh, Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, and Bathinda, as well as towns like Moga, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Fazilka and Ferozepur among others, have seen a sharp rise in such fraudulent attempts.

The AI-driven platform delivers fraud warnings in the user's preferred language, including Punjabi. The solution operates in the background and requires no installation and is offered free of cost, the company said. PTI SUN HVA