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Crayon launches AI Center of Excellence in Asia Pacific region

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Digital transformation services provider Crayon has fully launched its Data & AI practice through an AI Center of Excellence in the Asia Pacific region that focuses on creating innovative and value-based artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions.

The center is located in Singapore and can provide clients across a range of industries and sectors with an end-to-end delivery service, starting from data assessment to AI model deployment and management in production.

“There is so much power in innovation to drive the greater good and we’re excited to leverage our global success in data and AI to benefit the Asia Pacific region,” said Melissa Mulholland, CEO Crayon.

Crayon’s global Data & AI practice was established in 2014 and has since successfully executed more than 100 AI and machine learning projects worldwide. Crayon started the project to build its Asia Pacific AI Center of Excellence in 2018 and has had recent AI offerings in the region including a partnership with a significant medical group and supporting non-profit opportunities.

The center in Singapore will continue to provide data, AI and machine learning services, supporting customers through every step of their digital transformation journey.

“As we continue to guide our customers on their cloud journey, the promise of advanced analytics, AI and machine learning becomes more than just a vision, but something that can be realized,” said Rhonda Robati, Senior Vice President APAC at Crayon. “Therefore, we believe that now is the right time for Crayon to establish this Center of Excellence to share our global expertise in these innovative technologies with our customers in the Asia Pacific region,” added Robati.

After opening its offices in Singapore in 2014, Crayon has invested heavily in developing deep competencies in the Asia Pacific region. The Center of Excellence in Singapore is an expansion of its services portfolio offering.

The expansion is supported by Microsoft, strengthening both companies’ long-term partnership based on innovation and implementation of new customer solutions. Crayon was previously chosen as Microsoft’s No. 1 partner in the world for AI and machine learning.

“I love to see partners invest so heavily in the region and it really does align with our vision as a company which is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more,” said Fiona Carney, Chief Marketing & Operations Office APAC at Microsoft. “I’m delighted that Crayon is going to help contribute to that to our shared customers,” added Carney.

Techniche: IIT Guwahati partners ESFI to launch mega esports event as part of their annual fest

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The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) is all set to host the 24th edition of their annual techno-management festival – “Techniche” and the rise in esports popularity has prompted the organizers to initiate a special esports festival, titled as “Funniche” as part of the main festival in collaboration with the Esports Federation of India (ESFI). While the event will be IIT-G’s maiden experience to engage with esports, the event is scheduled from June 1-14.

The event will see popular esports games like Valorant, Rocket League being played by the participants and Online Chess has also been included keeping the rise in popularity for the chequered game in India. Valorant, which is fast catching up with the fancy of the esports players in India, will see four rounds followed by the knockouts. Alongside the esports titles, fun trivia based on web series, TV shows and movies will also be included to keep the audience and participants engaged.

Prof. Chivukula V. Sastri, Chairman of Technical Board, IIT Guwahati, said, “Techniche IIT Guwahati is pleased to partner with ESFI to launch their first-ever esports festival in India. This festival aims to foster and motivate young Indian minds and ignite competitive spirits despite being at home. The main motive of including esports was to boost the morale of the bright young brains and to develop the culture of esports among our students.”

IITG were the first ones to conduct India’s first virtual techno-management festival last year during the lockdown and it was a big success and with the rise in popularity of esports, it is expected that the first edition of “Funniche” will redefine the whole concept of the virtual annual festival and also raise the bar of excitement around the festival.

“We aim to boost the Indian esports ecosystem by promoting, encouraging and educating the younger generation and I am confident this partnership is a concrete step towards that direction. We aim to initiate an ecosystem where esports thrives without any limitations. I personally believe, our recent association with IITG, which hosts one of the most inspiring fests, will support us to fuel interest and awareness among the participants about the world of esports and who knows we have to get one of our future Champions amongst these IIT students,” said Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), while commenting on the expectations around the first edition of the “Funniche”.

Techniche IIT Guwahati Convenor Shubham Singh said, “Team Techniche is very excited to host an esports event for the first time. We have put a lot of thought into this and feel that it would be a great way for people to connect and get a competitive feel while being at home despite the pandemic.”

Poco records 300% YoY growth in Q1 2021 in India

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Xiaomi spin-off brand Poco has registered the highest growth at 300% YoY in the first quarter of this year, amongst the top 10 brands in India, as per IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, May 2021.

In November 2020, Poco was ranked the third online smartphone brand, overtaking Realme and OnePlus, within a span of 10 months, and today, it has added another milestone in its independent journey by registering highest growth in the first quarter.

Last year, Poco X2 became the best-selling smartphone on Flipkart under the Rs 15,000-20,000 price segment in March within one month of its launch and Poco X3 was featured as one of the best phones under 20K segment. Poco continued to cement its online position, driven by affordable models like Poco C3 and M3.

Launched in February this year, Poco M3 sold 500k units within 45 days of the launch. The company’s recent introduction Poco X3 Pro is all set to redefine the smartphone experience with unbelievably fluid and powerful performance to provide the highest levels of user satisfaction, the company claimed.

Anuj Sharma, Country Director, Poco India, said, “Our rise to the top 3 in the online smartphone space in just 10 months was a testimony of the love and trust we have received from our fans and consumers. This trust has helped us achieve yet another milestone by achieving the highest growth among the top 10 smartphone brands in the first quarter of 2021. As we continue to grow in the market, we aim to focus on delivering the best and compelling proposition, without compromising on the quality of the devices, with continuous belief in our philosophy of “Everything you need and nothing you don’t.”

Tecno set to launch Spark 7 Pro on May 25

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Transsion’s subsidiary Tecno is scheduled to expand its latest Spark 7 series in India with the launch of Spark 7 Pro on May 25. It will be available for purchase on leading ecommerce platform Amazon, as per the company.

The smartphone was launched in the global market recently. It is said to come with a 90Hz display, triple rear cameras, a MediaTek Helio G80 chipset, and a 5,000mAh battery.

The Tecno Spark 7 Pro is likely to come in 4GB+64GB, 4GB+128GB and 6GB+128GB RAM/ROM variants, if we look at its launch in the global market. Also, it may come in four colour options.

As for the prices, the upcoming handset might cost around Rs 10,000, considering its technical specifications in the international market.

“We see mobile games leading the esports scene in the coming years”

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Believe it or not, esports is the next big thing, about which some says, has the potential to outrun Cricket in India. Even though it is still at a budding stage over here, the popularity of this form of sports has been on a steady rise over the past couple of years. While esports has been taking its sweet time to build its foundation among the Indian gaming community, the COVID-19 pandemic has put this change on steroids, acting as a catalyst for the sudden increase in attention. Ultimate Battle is one such esports platform that offers online tournaments and gameplay for mobile, PC and consoles in India. The platform beautifully blends gameplay along with features like social networking, news, and online game store, to enhance the overall user experience. To discuss the state of Indian esports and its prospects for the future, Ramesh Kumar Raja talked to Tarun Gupta, Founder, Ultimate Battle, who wants to make it big in India. Excerpts:

Online gaming has undergone a massive change, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown. How do you look at this emerging trend, especially in the context of esports?

Esports has gained substantial growth to come into the mainstream in recent years. The esports scene in India will see steady growth with its massive young audience. I see a lot of high-value esports leagues powered by OEM/brands becoming a part of the ecosystem which will give a much-needed push to esports in India. We see mobile games leading the esports scene in the coming years in India.

Can you please tell us about the whole business of esports, its market size and opportunities in India?

Just like sports, esports is all about competitive gaming between esports athletes watched by millions of fans supporting their favourite players/teams. From organizing leagues to media rights and sponsorships, this all pertains to the basics of the esports market. India has seen a whopping increase in the year 2020 with 17 million spectators for live esports tournaments.

According to the recently-released EY FICCI 2021 report, the online gaming segment grew 18% in 2020 to reach Rs 77 billion as online gamers grew 20% from 300 million in 2019 to 360 million in 2020. Consumption of gaming content has also risen exponentially and this has created a huge opportunity for organizations to garner a fanbase as well as providing an avenue for monetization.

What exactly Ultimate Battle does and how it is contributing to this emerging tech revolution?

Ultimate Battle is an esports platform that aims at provisioning gaming communities of popular esports game titles, organized competitive gameplay for gamers for award and recognition. The 360-degree platform is not just limited to gameplay; but also forays into other aspects of gamers’ requirements. The platform beautifully blends gameplay along with features like social networking, news, and online game store, to enhance the overall user experience.

It is needless to say that it is technology, be it in the form of connectivity, advanced games, hardware, or platform that is fuelling and shaping the growth of esports. The very foundation of the Ultimate Battle platform lies in how technology has been used to create this unique experience for gamers.

How many games and tournaments do you offer on your platform and what have been their responses?

Ultimate Battle currently hosts nine esports title games on the platform. Every game has its own community and the frequency of tournaments depends on player engagement. Most of the games provisioned are the top popular esports title games in the world. The top ones being Free Fire, COD: Mobile along Chess. India is a mobile-centric gaming space, so the community size and engagement levels of mobile gamers are high compared to PC/console games.

The response we have received from the gaming community has been overwhelming.

How has been the business so far for Ultimate Battle in the last few months? What are your expectations post COVID-19 era?

Ultimate Battle has seen a 45% increase in user engagement on the platform, we are currently adding around 35K users to the platform every month, which is expected to rise in the coming months. The pie is only getting bigger. Esports entertainment has managed to accelerate the change which was anyway brewing pre-Covid. The Covid has only put this change on steroids and it is around the corner.

We don’t expect user engagement to change drastically post lockdown, but it can have its impact when life boils down to normal. We are expecting to retain a good 50-60% of the newly-gained user base on our platform.

What are the ways to promote, encourage, organize, educate, train and regulate esports in India?

Esports in India is still at their nascent stages. But the past few years have given a great push forward to bringing esports to the mainstream in the Indian gaming industry. The bifurcation of esports from other gaming categories and government legislation will be the major impetus that can bring a monumental change to the esports scene in India.

The massive audience is already seeing esports as a viable career option. And we as an organization, emphasizes providing a centralized platform to esports athletes and enthusiasts to showcase their skills, learn from interactions, and compete on the Ultimate Battle platform. With more players feeding into the esports ecosystem, this will give rise to multiple opportunities for various profiles like coaches, casters, team organizations, etc.

“Esports in India is still at their nascent stages. But the past few years have given a great push forward to bringing esports to the mainstream in the Indian gaming industry. The bifurcation of esports from other gaming categories and government legislation will be the major impetus that can bring a monumental change to the esports scene in India”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently routed for #AtmanirbharBharat in the gaming sector. How prepared is India for the same?

Indian game development companies are already playing a significant role in the gaming industry ecosystem and are striving forward with innovative ideas. I expect to see some homegrown world-class gaming content to be released from Indian gaming companies in the near future. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent speech has also emphasized promoting Indian ethics and culture into the games that are developed in India.

What have been the major achievements of the Ultimate Battle?

Back in 2017, esports events were much disorganized with no protocol to cater to the Pan India gaming audience. With Ultimate Battle online gameplay and frictionless user experience, we’ve been able to provide the gaming community a space to grow and enjoy gaming in all its glory.

We’ve been growing ever since with player feedback and our interpretation of a gamer’s requirement. Here are some achievements in recent years- Community Size of 3 lakh gamers; Achieved MAU of 28,000; Successfully integrated 10 esports title games to the platform; Addition of news portal and game ecommerce store making us a one-stop platform.

“Back in 2017, esports events were much disorganized with no protocol to cater to the Pan India gaming audience. With Ultimate Battle online gameplay and frictionless user experience, we’ve been able to provide the gaming community a space to grow and enjoy gaming in all its glory… We’ve been growing ever since with player feedback and our interpretation of a gamer’s requirement”

What innovations and diversifications are you doing to stay ahead of the curve in India, which is a highly competitive market?

We believe scalability to be one of the main pillars for the growth of the platform. We have structured the platform making it scalable using different levels of platform automation.

Besides gameplay, we’ve also incorporated multiple verticals like Social Networking, Gaming News, as well as Game Shop on the Ultimate Battle platform which gives a 360-degree gaming platform experience.

How has the model of gaming on the cloud been one of the biggest boons of the industry which has helped handle the sudden upsurge?

The requirements for playing high-end games are not budget-friendly to most Indian gamers. Cloud gaming provides a solution to this whereby the most basic requirement comes down to a good internet connection which is widely available in top cities. This not only reduces the hardware requirements; but also provides remote gameplay a much better option as a player can sit on any computer and enjoy the seamless experience of playing on a high-end device.

With the introduction of 5G in coming times, we’d see a wider coverage for cloud gaming services giving a boost to the gaming ecosystem.

What are the challenges you see from a gaming point of view in India?

The major hurdles faced by Indian gamers are- Uneven distribution of high-speed internet connections compared to Tier 1 cities; and lack of budget-friendly gaming PCs.

Esports is growing, and we need to establish a wider wireframe to support the ecosystem so that new skilled players can grow from all over India.

How do you look at the future of esports in India, especially after the ban on many gaming apps from China?

Esports in India have gained sufficient momentum and are becoming mainstream. Every game has its community size but overall growth has never been dependent on any single game/entity. With the competitiveness in the market, players can always opt for something better as esports is majorly pushed via leagues being organized in line with game publishers. This can be seen with the popularity of Free Fire in India. Players will always have a top-tier game to play and what we’ve to do is just keep up with player behaviours.

Barclays empowers Paytm to win Asset Triple A Award for best payments and collections solution

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Paytm Payment Gateway has won the ‘Best Payments & Collections Solution in the Fintech Industry’ award for its OPGSP (Online Payment Gateways Service Providers) Import solution. In Its Triple A Treasury, Trade, Supply Chain and Risk Management Awards, the jury awarded Paytm Payment Gateway as one of the most unique structured cash management and FX solutions under the ‘New Economy’ category.

The recognition reflects Paytm’s success in maintaining its leadership in the field of digital payments. Barclays helped Paytm Payment Gateway enhance its capabilities to offer import payment solutions to foreign marketplaces, making the payment giant one of the leading cross-border payment service providers.

It is a symbol of the future of financial services partnering with the players in other ecosystems for new solutions. Barclays offered the company an OPGSP solution that enabled cross-border payments in the Indian currency for marketplaces across the globe.

Barclays, a leading corporate and investment bank in the Asia Pacific region, submitted Paytm OPGSP solution to the Asset Triple A jury. The utility of this solution to achieve the collaborative vision of the bank and the payment company has led to the nomination and then winning the award.

“We are extremely happy to receive this award. The cumulative efforts of our teams reflect our commitment to provide our partners with the best payment solutions they need to succeed. We will continue to push the envelope further and deliver unique solutions to all our clients and partners,” said Praveen Sharma, Senior Vice President, Paytm.

Taranjit Jaswal, Head of Corporate Banking, Barclays Bank India, said, “We are delighted to have supported Paytm in building its cross-border payments aspirations. We keep client’s needs at the centre of our innovation, and this recognition is a result of our collaborative and cross functional team efforts. We will continue to support Paytm to scale this solution enabling them to deliver seamless experience to their partners and clients.”

Mobile app growth up 31% in Q1 2021: Adjust

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The mobile app growth continues to accelerate globally in 2021. After climbing 50% across all verticals year-over-year (YoY) in 2020, app installs are up 31% YoY in the first quarter of 2021, while sessions, which increased by 30% in 2020, are up by another 4.5%, revealed a report by Adjust, a global app marketing analytics platform.

“The app economy experienced immense growth in 2020, as people all over the world realized the benefits of mobile in many aspects of their daily lives,” said Paul H. Müller, Co-Founder and CEO, Adjust. “For mobile marketers, the potential to reach new users is at an all-time high, but so is competition. As we move through 2021, and begin a new era with iOS 14, the importance of enhancing marketing through automation and understanding how users behave in-app throughout their entire journey is more pivotal than ever,” he added.

Fintech apps posted the best YoY growth in installs of all verticals, 51% in 2020. The installs are up again in 2021 by 12%, compared to the 2020 average. This is no doubt buoyed by huge adoption rates for trading apps such as Robinhood, Acorns and Gatsby. Fintech app sessions also boomed in 2020, representing a significant move towards digital banking and payments. The sessions increased 85% YoY, and are already up 35% in 2021.

Gaming reached new heights in 2020, particularly in hyper casual, where installs increased 43%, compared to 26% for non-hyper casual. The sessions for non-hyper casual games increased by 27% in 2020 YoY, while the hyper casual sessions increased 36%. So far in 2021, the hyper casual game sessions are down 21%, but with the huge “first-lockdown” spike removed, YoY performance is roughly the same, and growing steadily, with February outperforming January by 47%.

Ecommerce’s install growth was relatively small at 6% in 2020, but performed consistently throughout the year. Its sessions, however, grew 44%, showing just how highly engaged shoppers on mobile have become. 2021 is off to a very strong start in both installs and sessions, up 11% and 14% respectively, over their 2020 averages. The vertical’s highest weeks ever for sessions were at the end of February and beginning of March 2021, up 23% YoY.

The annual report titled, “Mobile App Trends 2021: A Global Benchmark of App Performance” is based on Adjust’s top 2,000 apps and its dataset of apps tracked across gaming, ecommerce and fintech. It analyses long-term trends in installs, sessions, time spent in-app, retention and re-attribution rates across the globe. These insights enable developers and marketers to better understand their audience and the state of the app economy.

As the mobile ecosystem becomes ever more competitive with iOS 14, apps that build data-driven and UX-focused strategies will be well-positioned to come out on top. With insights into how users behave in-app, and when they return and why, mobile marketers can create a comprehensive strategy, incorporating highly personalized campaigns and communication that build brand trust.

MFine rolls out campaign to create awareness of tracking SpO2 level with app

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As India fights against the second wave of COVID-19, experts suggest that blood oxygen levels should be continuously monitored, and a patient should be hospitalised only if his or her situation is critical.

A pulse oximeter is a device that measures blood oxygen levels non-invasively. Not many people have a pulse oximeter at home, and while having things delivered during a lockdown can be challenging, your health can’t take a back seat. To ease monitoring oxygen levels, MFine, India’s top-rated healthcare app, has introduced an app-based SpO2 tracker.

The MFine SpO2 tracker tool claims to give the same results with medical-grade accuracy by simply using your smartphone’s camera. This, in a sense, brings healthcare literally to your fingertips. Beyond COVID-19, regular monitoring of SpO2 levels is also recommended for those suffering from Anaemia, Asthma, COPD and other respiratory illnesses.

To generate awareness about this AI-powered feature that MFine launched recently, it has rolled out an influencer campaign #CareComesHome with Do Your Thng, a branded content marketplace.

The campaign roped in influencers from all segments and any profession, irrespective of their number of followers. Using the power of video content, the campaign talks about keeping the MFine app handy for monitoring SpO2 levels regularly, staying home and consulting with doctors online if any health need arises. They also share their own life experiences where healthcare services from MFine can be helpful to other users as well, such as ordering lab tests at home, medicine delivery, X-rays and scans.

Ankit Agarwal, Founder, Do Your Thng, said, “The campaign is meant for the masses, and the best way to reach the masses is to be one of them. So, we incorporated the idea of using a crowd of influencers known for their impactful content to spread the message and do so in order of magnitude.”

He further added, “This campaign which highlights the usage of MFine’s app-based pulse oximeter, could be of use to anybody sitting at any place. The intention is to keep track of the oxygen levels, being inside your homes and not stepping out of your houses and facing the havoc of COVID.”

According to Jyoti Sinha, Angel Mummy 91, an influencer, “This second wave of COVID-19 is tricky, and it is our responsibility to be aware and take extra precautions. If you or members of your family have breathing difficulties or have an active Covid infection, you should regularly monitor your oxygen saturation levels. And now you can do so by just using your smartphone on the #MFine app! This is a very useful tool to have this time.”

Display demand in India likely to be $60 bn over next 5 years: ICEA

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The Indian market demand for displays over the next five years is likely to be $60 billion, said a new report by the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), in collaboration with Grantwood Technologies.

The domestic consumption of display components exceeded $5 billion in 2020 alone, which is expected to sharply rise over the next five years, and is estimated to be much greater than $10 billion in 2025, mainly resulting from the “Make-in-India” strategy to promote electronic manufacturing, said the report titled, “Flat Panel Displays – Creation of a Display Industry in India”.

The report highlights that India has steadily grown into a leading consumer market for display-centric products. However, India does not currently have a local display manufacturing industry and all display components have to be imported from overseas suppliers.

Unveiling the report during a virtual event today, Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, MeitY, said that he looks forward to the participation of the global key players in establishing the display fabs in India. “The policy framework and incentivization policy for this segment will also be worked upon,” said Sawhney.

“India currently consumes 7-8% of the global display production in India primarily for use in mobile, TV and IT hardware. With our current emphasis on electronic manufacturing in India and incentives to trigger this industrial sector, the demand for displays will increase multi-fold. There is no display fab in India today and this is the right time that we direct our focus towards building this strategic core industry in India,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA.

Mohindroo further said that a coherent national policy is required to mobilize private sector companies to bring together capital and knowhow to establish state-of-the-art display fabs. “The national policy should extend government support towards providing financial incentives to display makers and display supply chain companies who agree to make substantial investments under the private-public partnerships,” he added. Mohindroo also invited the Indian corporates to come forward and put their weight behind to establish “this strategic industry” in India.

Globally, display was a $100 billion industry in 2020 and is projected to grow over $125 billion in revenues by 2024. The mobile phone and TV product segments account for greater than 65% of the industry revenues while notebooks, monitors, tablets, automotive and other applications account for the rest.

“Displays are the windows to the digital world of data. They make it possible for data to be visualized in a human readable form. The display component industry is greater than $100 billion in size and it has spawned substantially larger leveraged industries that manufacture and sell display-centric electronic products,” said Dr G. Rajeswaran, Director and CEO, Grantwood Technologies. “India has the market-pull for display-centric electronic products, it needs a plan to bring together capital and knowhow for the creation of a display manufacturing industry in India. Using our pioneering experience in the display industry over the past three decades, we are proposing a strategy, a plan-of-action and some key recommendations to future stakeholders in India,” added Rajeswaran.

The report takes a macro-economic look at the rationale for the creation of a display manufacturing industry in India. It takes a deeper dive into the features of the display manufacturing industry such as economies-of-scale in production, describe the two major technology options such as TFT-LCD and AMOLED displays, highlights the role of the infrastructure and supply chain providers in the display industry and finally recommends a strategy and a plan-of-action for India.

Airtel CEO warns customers against cyber frauds amid COVID-19 crisis

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Telecom major Airtel today warned against a rise in cyber frauds amid a massive surge in online transactions during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and asserted the company is working “relentlessly” and coming out with safety features to ensure customers are not vulnerable to fraudsters.

In an e-mail outreach to customers, Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal highlighted the modus operandi being adopted by fraudsters and also drew attention to cyber frauds related to digital payments. “With the growing second wave of the pandemic and lockdowns in various parts of the country, there has been a massive increase in online transactions. Unfortunately, there has also been a corresponding increase in cyber fraud,” Vittal said.

Sounding out a warning on the kinds of fraud that users could likely face, he said that Airtel has developed an “industry first feature” that is geared towards conducting secure online transactions “without the fear of being duped by a fraudster”. “Please note that Airtel does not sell VIP numbers on the phone and will never ask you to download any third-party apps. In both instances, please immediately call 121 to confirm. In fact, I would say when in doubt simply call 121,” Vittal advised in his mail to Airtel subscribers.

Cautioning against fraudsters calling customers pretending to be Airtel employees, he said that this could be under the pretext of incomplete Know Your Customer (KYC) form. The fraudster may request the customer to install the ”Airtel Quick Support” app from the Google Play Store to allow them to help. As no such app exists on the play store, when the customer tries to install it, they are redirected to TeamViewer Quick Support App. “The TeamViewer Quick Support app allows the fraudster to remotely take over the device and accounts associated with the device. And so, if the customer does install it, they allow the fraudster into all their accounts connected to the device,” Vittal said urging users to guard against such instances.

Similarly, the fraudster may call or send an SMS claiming to be from Airtel and promising highly discounted VIP numbers. “As a part of the transaction, the fraudster requests a prepayment as a token / booking amount. Post receiving these funds, the fraudster ceases all contact with the person and becomes untraceable,” Vittal warned.

Cyber frauds related to payments are also on the rise, due to the increase in digital transactions, he noted. “The fraudster calls the customer claiming to be from a bank/financial institution and asks for account details or an OTP to unblock/renew the existing bank account. The details are used to withdraw money from the customer’’s bank account,” Vittal said.

The fraudsters also call the customer pretending to buy a second-hand listed product from the website, negotiate the price and ask for the customer’s UPI details to transfer money to the account. “On the customer providing the account, an SMS link is sent to the customer’s phone to approve the transaction which debits the money from the account instead of crediting,” he said.

The Airtel top honcho said that the company has worked relentlessly to ensure that subscribers are not vulnerable to these fraudsters. “This is why we have recently introduced an industry-first feature called ‘Safe Pay’,” he informed.

Safe Pay provides an additional layer of security for every transaction, he added. “So, before you actually make a payment, our network intelligence throws up a message asking you to confirm the transaction to the person who is trying to pull the fraud. Therefore, if you activate Airtel Safe Pay, you are not vulnerable to fraudsters. To be on Airtel Safe Pay you need to open an Airtel Payments bank account,” Vittal said.

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