Industry associations the GSMA and UK Finance outlined the ability of an API-delivered platform to battle authorised push payment fraud in the UK, a service developed in collaboration with local mobile operators and banks.

The organisations representing mobile and financial services players combined on a collaborative framework which was then used by companies to develop and launch Scam Signal.

Vodafone UK unveiled its version of the platform in April, with its pilot improving scam detection at what it described as a leading bank by 30 per cent after three months.   

In a joint statement today (5 November), UK Finance and the GSMA noted Scam Signal was launching as a “collaboration between mobile network operators EE, Virgin Media O2, 3, Vodafone and UK Finance members including NatWest”, a high-street bank.

Scam Signal uses APIs to provide the means to identify and prevent fraudulent bank transfers using “real-time network data” analysis to identify “correlations between phone calls and fraudulent bank transfers”. It was developed following a number of workshops with operators and financial industry representatives.

The banking member organisation estimates almost £214 million was lost to authorised push payment fraud in H1, with 35 per cent of associated financial losses coming from scams initiated from telecommunications systems.

Scam Signal is the latest API-delivered solution promoted by the GSMA, which has been heavily pushing the benefits of common operator APIs under the Open Gateway Initiative, a drive unveiled at MWC Barcelona in 2023 and backed by major operators around the world.