Lucknow, 9 July, 2025: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”) has announced significant progress in its mission to protect customers in Uttar Pradesh (East) from rising online frauds. As part of the nationwide rollout of its AI-powered fraud detection system, Airtel has successfully safeguarded more than 15 Million users in Uttar Pradesh (East) — within just 56 days of launching its advanced fraud detection system.
In a continued effort to strengthen digital safety in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Amit Gupta, CEO – Uttar Pradesh (East), Bharti Airtel, met with Mr. Naveen Arora (IPS), ADG – Technical Services, Uttar Pradesh Police, to discuss Airtel’s Fraud Detection Solution and explore collaborative measures to tackle the growing threat of cyber frauds in the state.
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 in Prayagraj 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, Amit Gupta, CEO – Uttar Pradesh (East), Bharti Airtel, said “At Airtel, we are dedicated to protecting our customers from various types of fraud. Today, we are excited to introduce our fraud detection solution, which aims to safeguard all customers across every platform, enhancing internet safety for everyone and shielding against new threats. We are confident that our solution will offer comprehensive protection to customers in Uttar Pradesh (East) against cyber threats, allowing them to explore the digital landscape with assurance.”
With Uttar Pradesh ranked as one of India’s most digitally advanced states, the threat of online fraud has grown in both its urban and rural regions. Fraudsters increasingly target users through phishing links, fake deliveries and spurious banking alerts. Cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Prayagraj — along with remote areas such as Kanpur Dehat, Jaunpur, Kushinagar, Mau, and Mirzapur among others — have seen a sharp rise in such fraudulent attempts. 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 Hindi, making it highly effective for the state’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. Uttar Pradesh 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 state. Whether it’s a working professional in Lucknow, a homemaker in Kanpur, or a student in Varanasi, Airtel helps make every digital interaction safer.
In the last 56 days of the launch, Airtel has blocked more than 212,526 malicious links and shielded 143 Million users across the country.
