Millions of O2 customers just unlocked a free upgrade that hopes to quash scam phone calls forever

If you’ve got an O2 SIM card powering your phone — scam calls will soon be a thing of the past. Yes, really.

That’s because O2 has launched a new AI-powered tool to protect all of its customers from scam calls, becoming the first UK mobile network to offer such technology free of charge. Dubbed Call Defence, the nifty new feature automatically flags suspected scam and nuisance calls to customers before they pick up their phone.

For comparison, EE offers a similar spam protection features, but charges customers £1 per month to enable this security measure.

It comes as research commissioned by O2 revealed almostt a quarter of Britons (22%) 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.

O2 developed the system in partnership with voice security firm Hiya. When a call is flagged as highly-likely to be spam, the preventative system displays a warning on your phone screen — cautioning you not to pick-up or give away any personal information when talking to the person on the other end of the line.

Of course, the decision on whether or not to answer the call is still ultimately down to you, with the option to either accept or reject any flagged numbers despite the warning, O2 tells us.

The technology will be available to all O2 pay monthly and SIM-only customers. O2 Business customers are also included in the rollout of the new security feature.

How to protect yourself from phone scams

Be cautious of unsolicited calls: If someone calls asking for personal information, hang up and call the company directly using a verified number.
Don’t share personal details: Banks, government agencies, and phone providers will never ask for passwords or PINs over the phone.
Block suspicious numbers: If you keep receiving calls from a dodgy number, block it.
Be wary of urgent requests: Scammers often create a sense of urgency to manipulate victims. Take a moment to think before responding.
Report scams: If you experience a scam, report it to your phone provider or Action Fraud.

Call Defence relies on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyse the behaviour of phone numbers to determine whether a call is a suspected scam or spam and label the call accordingly. For example, if the same number is harassing multiple people with a scam, the system will note the behaviour and warn anyone else who gets the call. The powerful protection feature works in real-time to identify potential scam or spam calls.

Best of all, there’s no additional steps to get Call Defence up-and-running, with the funtiocnlity enabled automatically for anyone running the latest version of the Android or iPhone operating system. Simple!

Speaking about the new security boost for millions of O2 customers across the UK, Director of Fraud at parent company Virgin Media O2, Murray Mackenzie 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.”

Kush Parikh, president of Hiya, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating: “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.”

The new arrival builds on the release of Brand ID by Virgin Media O2 to all customers earlier this summer. The clever call identification system is designed to make it easier to check the identity of an incoming call and display the details of the organisation on-screen. This will let you screen your calls based on whether you recognise the name of the business.

Virgin Media O2 is offering this nifty anti-fraud system at no extra cost for all customers. If you’re already paying for a similar solution to battle against fraudulent cold callers, then it’s time to cancel your Direct Debit.

Like Call Defence, Brand ID was developed in partnership with security firm Hiya and is already used by roughly 150 businesses in the UK, including several major banks and insurance firms.

But despite these measures, scam and fraud attempts remain at record levels in the UK.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Virgin Media O2 is still calling on customers to remain vigilant to suspicious calls and texts — particularly when asked to provide personal information. With fraudsters always evolving their tactics, anyone is encouraged to actively participate in the fight against scams — and report anything suspicious for free to 7726 to help keep themselves and others safe.

By forwarding these scam texts, the telecom company is not only able to investigate and block the mobile numbers used by fraudsters, but also use the scam texts to help refine its blocking services, making it easier to identify new trends and block messages faster.

Additional Reporting By Martyn Landi, PA Technology Correspondent

How to protect yourself from phone scams

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