Airtel Nigeria has further protected its subscribers from recent surges in fraudulent SMS messages by embracing a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) solution that blocked over 9.6 million spam SMS messages within two months of use.
Spam Alert Service was launched in March 2025 to delete suspicious or unwanted SMS messages received by mobile subscribers with deceptive content. Up to May 20, 2025, the launch date, and until the date of publication, the body stated that, during the period, 9,667,008 suspected SMS messages were removed by the system. The rates of blocked messages show the increased risk from mobile cons on Nigeria’s rapidly expanding online communications platform.
Of all the spam SMS identified, 528,080 were internal to Airtel subscribers, and 9,138,928 were external; hence, external threats remain a greater risk. The sole intention of the system is to provide subscribers with an environment where they can use their mobile phones more securely and reliably, particularly when SMS fraud is becoming immensely sophisticated and prevalent.
Airtel highlighted that this AI-based methodology is a testament to its focus on providing not just connectivity but also a secure digital existence. Airtel also highlighted that the development of trust in its digital ecosystem is at the core of customer satisfaction and loyalty. The AI model, as Airtel highlighted, keeps upgrading and updating itself, bettering and modifying threat patterns so that it can further enhance filtering.
In today’s technologically advanced world, cyber activity is a two-edged sword. As mobile phones bring millions of Nigerians together with opportunities, services, and friends, they also present them to the benevolence of an open field of cybervulnerability. SMS-based fraudsters, or smishing, as they are popularly called, have emerged as a cause for alarm.
Smishing, also called imit messages, tricks recipients into giving away confidential information, clicking on imit links, or being victims of decoy transactions. Scam often pretends to be telecommunication service providers, banks, or internet stores, exploiting users’ confidence in familiar names and services.
New figures published by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) show that fraud in Nigerian finances is rising exponentially. Banks and other financial institutions lost a cumulative N52.26 billion to fraud throughout 2024 alone, a drastic hike from the N17.67 billion lost in 2023. In half a decade, losses had grown more than 350 percent, from N11.61 billion in 2020 to more than N52 billion in 2024.
Interestingly, with growing financial losses, fraud cases decreased. Figures provided by NIBSS indicate a decrease in reported fraud cases from 101,624 in 2020 to 70,111 in 2024. This indicates that although scams are fewer in number, when they do happen, they are more complex and costly in nature.
Airtel’s fast response with AI-powered systems is opportunistic and strategic. With automated testing and machine learning, the telecommunication behemoth is not only providing customers with a shield but also leading other telecommunication operators in the race for prioritizing cybersecurity.
With online cyber threats growing, Airtel’s action is a call to action in the sense that it serves as a reminder that safeguarding customers today in a world where everything is connected requires more than network reach; it takes smart solutions that can learn, adapt, and stay ahead of cyber threats.
