Telia Blocks Millions of Scam Calls

Sophisticated tech thwarts fraudsters targeting Swedish mobile users.

Swedish telecom giant **Telia** announced a significant milestone in its fight against telecom fraud, blocking over 31 million scam attempts aimed at mobile users in Sweden during the first half of 2025. This equates to stopping roughly two fraudulent calls every second.

Anti-Spoofing Measures Expanded

One key method employed by fraudsters is spoofing, where they manipulate the displayed phone number to appear as a trusted source. **Telia** initially introduced protection against this in 2023, expanding it in spring 2025 to an industry-wide solution which tackles spoofed calls across different operator networks. This system successfully intercepted 10.4 million spoofed calls during the six-month period.

Wangiri Fraud Thwarted by Multi-Layered System

The Wangiri method, where scammers from abroad make brief calls hoping recipients will call back to expensive international numbers, is also being targeted. **Telia** employs a three-layer defense against Wangiri fraud. The first layer blocks the majority of these calls automatically, preventing 20.5 million attempts from reaching users.

In March, **Telia** implemented a novel approach, deploying an automated speech response to answer suspected scam calls. This measure captured an additional 400,000 calls, shifting the financial burden to the fraudsters. A third layer warns customers through an automatic message about the potential risk before they make a return call.

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) found that consumers lost approximately $3.3 billion to phone scams in 2022, highlighting the global scale of this problem.

Continuing the Fight Against Fraud

By implementing these multi-faceted strategies, **Telia** aims to provide a safer mobile experience for its users, protecting them from financial losses and unwanted disruptions. The company continues to refine its methods to stay ahead of evolving fraud tactics.