Indosat's AI spam shield blocks scams worth USD $500m

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison's Anti-Spam and Anti-Scam feature detected more than 2 billion risky calls, messages, and links in its first six months, as Indonesian telecoms operators face rising levels of fraud tied to mobile communications.

Over the same period, Indosat identified more than 2.3 million senders linked to spam and scam messages, and customers filed more than 124,000 reports of fraudulent numbers through its app.

Indosat developed the system with Tanla Platforms. The companies said it uses artificial intelligence on Tanla's Wisely AI platform. Indosat said the feature provides "100% protection across covered customers".

Threat patterns

Indosat's internal analysis points to one-time password scams, phishing attempts, and fake lottery schemes as leading sources of threats. SMS and voice calls remain the main delivery channels.

Suspicious activity also tends to rise at certain times of year, including ahead of religious holidays, during online shopping periods, and around the disbursement of social assistance.

Indosat positioned the feature as part of a wider effort to add security protections alongside connectivity, citing the growing role of mobile phones in communications and transactions in Indonesia and the resulting need for digital protection services.

Customer adoption

More than 2.5 million people have activated the feature through Indosat's mobile app. Indosat described the system as combining network-level detection with user reporting, which feeds into ongoing threat identification.

Indosat said the impact goes beyond blocking unwanted communications. It cited financial loss, business disruption, and misuse of personal data as key risks, and said micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, senior citizens, and customers in higher-risk areas are among the most affected.

Indosat estimated the feature prevented potential financial losses of about USD $500 million. It also said 95% of subscribers reported feeling more protected after using the service.

Government response

Indonesia's Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs linked scam prevention to broader cooperation between industry and government.

"We appreciate the efforts made by Indosat in combating scams and spam in Indonesia. This stands as a concrete example of the appropriate use of AI to protect consumers. We encourage industry players to implement similar measures to help create a safer digital ecosystem," said Nezar Patria, Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

Indosat President Director and CEO Vikram Sinha said the operator has focused on building a more proactive system.

"We see that mobile phones have become an essential part of daily life for Indonesians. Through collaboration with technology partners like Tanla, we are delivering more proactive and adaptive protection. AI technology in our network helps filter threats before they can impact our customers," he said.

Accuracy claims

Tanla said it developed an AI-based detection approach that adapts as digital crime patterns change. It said the system reaches an accuracy rate of up to 99% and is refined through continuous data learning.

"Our collaboration with Indosat and the local government reflects our commitment to industry-first innovation and real-world impact at scale. With Wisely AI, we are helping protect the people of Indonesia and enable trusted digital adoption across the country. We are deeply encouraged by the feedback and grateful for the opportunity to partner on an initiative that is helping empower Indonesia's digital future," said Uday Reddy, Founder Chairman & CEO, Tanla Platforms.

Feature updates

Indosat is rolling out enhancements as scam tactics evolve. It cited the Global Anti-Scam Alliance's State of Scams in Indonesia 2025 report, which found nearly two-thirds of Indonesians had encountered scam attempts. More than one-third became victims in the prior 12 months, with each victim experiencing scams an average of 2.2 times.

Indosat also cited data from Indonesia's Financial Services Authority on the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre, which it said received scam reports with total losses of IDR 9.1 trillion between 22 November 2024 and 14 January 2026.

Indosat said IM3 customers access the service through SATSPAM, which it described as an Anti-Scam and Spam Task Force. Tri customers use the TRI AI: Anti-Spam/Scam feature, which includes a colour-coded visual identification system.

Recent enhancements include automatic blocking of scam SMS, detection of high-risk calls including those based on VoIP, and risk-level pop-up notifications. Indosat also cited in-app summaries of suspicious activity and integration of Plus+ protection in the myIM3 and bima+ applications.

Indosat said it will continue refining the system as threat patterns change and as customer reporting provides additional signals for its detection models.