In a letter dated May 14, 2025, Gopal Vittal, vice-chairman and managing director (MD), Bharti Airtel, has proposed the creation of a unified platform to tackle the growing threat of malicious uniform resource locator (URLs) leading to financial fraud to Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi), and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
Vittal suggested launching a joint telecom fraud initiative to address the surge in cybercrimes involving brand impersonation, phishing messages, and fraudulent payment gateways. He warned that cybercriminals are increasingly tricking users into sharing sensitive personal and financial information through fake web links.
Vittal noted that malicious URLs account for nearly half of all financial losses due to cybercrime, with the remainder attributed to phishing calls, fraudulent messages, and other forms of digital deception. He advocated for real-time fraud intelligence sharing among telecom operators to expedite the detection and blacklisting of suspicious numbers, devices, and behavioural patterns.
Additionally, he proposed the standardisation of fraud detection protocols and technology frameworks across all operators to improve efficiency and create a uniform response mechanism. According to Vittal, such collaboration would also enhance coordination with law enforcement and regulatory bodies like the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
