Millions of O2 customers will have suspected scam and nuisance calls flagged before they even pick up the phone, thanks to a free AI-powered feature that has just launched.
Known as Call Defence, the service uses Adaptive AI to analyse call number behaviour in real-time and determine whether it could be a scam or spam call. Customers are then alerted to any risk before picking up, helping them to decide whether they want to answer or not.
O2 is the first and only UK mobile operator to provide this service to customers at no extra cost, with consumer and business customers already automatically benefitting.
Scammers frequently call consumers claiming to be from trusted UK businesses in the hope of catching Brits off guard and gaining personal information which they can then use to defraud them. In the UK, 16% of consumers fell victim to phone scams last year, losing an average of £798 each, according to Hiya’s State of the Call report.
With O2 research revealing nearly a quarter of Brits (22%)1 have been targeted by scammers at least weekly in the past year, the technology will act as an early warning system to help customers stay safe and avoid falling victim to fraud whilst also ensuring they do not waste their time dealing with unwanted calls.
The new technology, powered by voice security leader Hiya, is being rolled out to O2 customers on Pay Monthly custom plans, Pay Monthly SIM Only plans as well as O2 Business customers. This technology will be automatically rolled out to Android users and Apple customers using the latest iOS 18 and above.
Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2, said: “Our AI-powered scam and spam call detection tool is the latest layer of defence we’re rolling out to help protect our customers from fraudsters.
“We’re the first and only UK provider to give customers this innovative new tool for free, which will monitor call behaviour to provide customers greater clarity on who is calling and why, constantly adapting to help keep one step ahead of scammers.”
“Whether we’re blocking calls and texts from fraudsters or rolling out Caller ID for trusted businesses, we’re working hard to stop scammers in their tracks. But with fraudsters forever evolving their tactics, customers can help us stay one step ahead by reporting suspected scam calls and texts to 7726.”
Kush Parikh, President of Hiya, said: “We’re excited to partner with O2 to bring innovative AI-powered scam protection to millions of customers across the UK via their Call Defence service.
“By leveraging Hiya’s Adaptive AI technology and offering it to its customers for free, O2 is setting a new standard in protecting people and businesses from fraudulent and nuisance calls. Together, we’re empowering consumers to take back control of their phones, helping them stay safe and informed while blocking bad actors in real time.”
Helping Brits Swerve the Scammers
This is not the first time O2 has used AI technology in the fight against scammers. Early this month, O2 unveiled it used cutting-edge AI to create a human-like ‘Granny’ to answer calls in real time from fraudsters, keeping them on the phone and away from real people for as long as possible. ‘Daisy’ has wasted hundreds of hours of scammer’s time and was created to expose the common tactics used so customers can better protect themselves. Read more here.
Earlier this year, O2 began the roll out of caller identification technology which is providing customers with greater confidence and certainty about who is calling them by giving details of the organisation making the call, known as Brand ID.
With more than 200 UK businesses already signed up to the service, including major banks and insurers, the tool is also acting as an anti-fraud filter, only displaying caller information after verifying the company.
In addition to launching this enhanced caller identification service, O2 blocks tens of millions of calls and messages from ever reaching its customer’s phones each year.
To help keep themselves and others safe, O2 is encouraging customers to remain vigilant to suspicious calls and texts – particularly when asked to provide personal information – and report them for free to 7726.
Find out more about how O2 is helping Brits stay safe from scammers here: o2.co.uk/SwerveTheScammers
Virgin Media O2 is calling for wider action to prevent fraud
The company recently exposed the scale of the UK’s fraud problem after finding that nearly seven in ten Brits (69%) reported that they’ve been targeted by scammers. Last year alone, Virgin Media O2 intercepted and blocked over £250 million in suspected fraudulent transactions — equivalent to stopping one every two minutes.
Warning that not enough is being done to protect consumers, Virgin Media O2 is calling on the government to take accountability for stopping fraud at its source by appointing a dedicated fraud minister and creating a single centralised, specialised and properly resourced national policing body responsible for investigating all instances of fraud.
Notes to Eds
More information on Call Defence is available here: How to deal with nuisance calls and texts – Help and Support | O2
Strand Partners’ specialist research team conducted an online survey of 5,247 members of the UK public between 07.06.24 – 19.06.24. The sample is representative by gender, age and NUTs 1 region, education, and income against the most recent ONS census data.
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