Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has reported a major milestone in its fight against digital crime, detecting more than two billion spam and scam attempts since launching its AI-powered Anti-Spam and Anti-Scam feature.
The results highlight the scale of scam activity targeting mobile users in Indonesia and the growing role of artificial intelligence in protecting digital ecosystems across ASEAN. The system, developed with strategic technology partner Tanla and powered by its AI-native Wisely AI platform, analyses calls, messages and links in real time, delivering full protection across covered customers.
As mobile phones become the backbone of communication, payments and economic activity, Indosat says digital protection is no longer optional. The company positions the enhanced feature as an extension of its core connectivity services, aimed at giving customers greater confidence and peace of mind in everyday use.
Internal data from Indosat shows the majority of threats originate from one-time password scams, phishing attempts and fake lottery schemes, primarily delivered via SMS and voice calls. Scam activity tends to spike during predictable periods, including ahead of religious holidays, major online shopping campaigns and social assistance disbursement cycles.
The system is not only blocking threats but actively involving customers in prevention. More than 2.5 million users have activated the feature through Indosat’s mobile apps, generating more than 124,000 reports of fraudulent numbers. This feedback loop allows the AI models to continuously learn and adapt to new scam techniques.
From a broader economic and social perspective, Indosat estimates the system has helped prevent potential financial losses of around US$500 million. The benefits are felt most acutely by micro, small and medium enterprises, senior citizens and customers in higher-risk regions. According to the company, 95 per cent of subscribers now report feeling more protected as a result of the service.
Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Nezar Patria, praised the initiative as an example of responsible and practical AI deployment, describing it as a concrete demonstration of how cross-sector collaboration can help build a safer digital environment. He encouraged other industry players to adopt similar measures.
Indosat president director and chief executive officer Vikram Sinha said the initiative reflects the company’s focus on addressing real customer needs as mobile devices become central to daily life. He said collaboration with technology partners such as Tanla allows Indosat to deliver proactive and adaptive protection by filtering threats before they reach customers.
Tanla’s role has been central to the system’s development, with its AI-based detection engine achieving accuracy rates of up to 99 per cent. The platform is continuously refined through ongoing data learning to keep pace with evolving scam patterns.
Founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Tanla Platforms, Uday Reddy, said the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to innovation with real-world impact at national scale, helping protect Indonesian users while enabling trusted digital adoption.
The initiative comes amid sobering data on the scale of digital crime in Indonesia. Research from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance shows nearly two-thirds of Indonesians have encountered scam attempts, with more than one-third falling victim in the past year. Data from the Financial Services Authority indicates reported scam losses reaching IDR 9.1 trillion, underlining the broader economic and social impact.
In response, Indosat and Tanla continue to enhance the platform’s accessibility and intelligence. IM3 customers can access the service via SATSPAM, while Tri customers use the TRI AI Anti-Spam and Scam feature, which includes colour-coded visual risk identification.
New capabilities include automatic blocking of scam SMS, detection of high-risk and VoIP-based calls, risk-based pop-up alerts, summaries of suspicious activity through mobile apps, and integration with the myIM3 and bima+ platforms.
Indosat says the system has been designed to be inclusive and lightweight, ensuring it can be used across all segments of society. For ASEAN markets grappling with rising scam volumes and increasingly sophisticated digital fraud, the initiative offers a regional example of how artificial intelligence, industry partnerships and customer participation can strengthen trust in the digital economy.
