United Against Scams - GSMA

A hand holds a mobile phone showing an incoming call from "UNKNOWN" with green and red buttons for answering or rejecting—highlighting scam prevention. The phone rests by an open laptop on a dimly lit wooden desk, white mug nearby.

United Against Scams

A collective, industry-wide focus to safeguard digital trust.

Anti-Scam Events

Collaborating to detect, prevent and mitigate scams

With the global scam economy growing at alarming speed, industry-wide scam prevention is critical. Criminal networks exploit digital and mobile channels to deceive, steal, and manipulate. Losses exceeded a trillion dollars worldwide in 2024 alone, showing how widespread the problem has become. Beyond financial losses, these attacks erode trust in the digital ecosystem and mobile services, and lead to enormous emotional distress for victims.

To address this, the GSMA is making scam prevention a shared industry priority. It enables mobile network operators, technology partners, regulators, and financial institutions to join forces to counter scams with practical solutions. We do so by providing guidance, resources, and a platform for collaboration to accelerate action against emerging threats.

$

Trillion

lost worldwide to scams in 2024¹

%

of consumers receive scam messages weekly²

%

of unknown calls are scams³

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“
Over the last five years, scams have grown massively – they affect more people, occur more often and through more methods. Only by uniting and working together across the digital ecosystem and the financial sector, with the support of public authorities, can we fight such a complex phenomenon. The mobile ecosystem stands ready to do its part, alongside all concerned parties.
Vivek Badrinath, Director General, GSMA

Scam use cases

Access a growing collection of solutions that support awareness, education and scam prevention

Scam call detection and blocking is a key part of scam prevention

Scam call detection and blocking

A close-up of a SIM card tray partially ejected from a mobile phone on a blue surface. The gold contacts of the SIM card are clearly visible, and part of the phone’s edge and screen can be seen in the upper right corner.

SIM swap fraud prevention

A large audience sits attentively in a modern, dimly lit auditorium in a scam prevention seminar. The focus is on a woman in the foreground, watching the stage intently. People of various ages are seated around her, all looking forward. The atmosphere is serious and engaged.

Customer education and awareness campaigns

Smishing and scam prevention. A close-up of a mobile phone screen displays a glowing notification with the word "SMS" in large letters. The background is blurred, with blue and green hues reflecting light, creating a soft, modern, and slightly mysterious atmosphere.

SMS phishing (smishing) detection

a person actively engaged in scam prevention. A person with short dark hair and glasses sits alone at a wooden table in a brightly lit café, looking at their phone. A cup and saucer are on the table. The background is blue, and large green plant leaves are in the foreground.

Subscription fraud prevention

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Branded calling

Explore all scam use cases

Scam prevention content hub

Our content hub shares a wide range of scam prevention resources to provide the industry guidance, intelligence and education tools

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Latest News

Strengthening the Global Fight Against Fraud and Scams – Takeaways from the Global Fraud Summit in Vienna

A person holds a mobile phone displaying an incoming call screen that reads “Suspected Spam,” with large exclamation mark icon, and options to accept or reject the call. The phone is held over a wooden table with blurred indoor café background.

Unscammed: Industry Demand for Fraud Prevention Network APIs

Policy & Regulation
Latest Report: Stand together. Protect together

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Examination of Anti-Scam Frameworks in APAC

Five people sit on stools on a stage in front of a green “GASA” backdrop; one woman speaks into a microphone. An audience watches, and a man stands at a lectern with a screen beside him inside a marquee event space.

Global Anti Scam Summit, Lisbon

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Restoring Trust: GSMA Foundry’s Open Verifiable Calling Project

Innovation projects

Upcoming events

Industry events dedicated to scam prevention and mitigation

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September 9 – 10, 2026

M360 AESAN Kuala Lumpur

Join us to shape the future of trust through collective action and Global APIs

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November 8 – 10, 2026

MWC Doha
Shaping the future of digital trust the MENA region

More anti-scam events

See all GSMA events

GSMA projects, products and services

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Open Gateway

Network APIs: powering scam protection

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Industry Services

Explore fraud prevention services

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Innovation Projects

Advancing scam detection and protection through innovation

The economic and human cost of scams

Scams damage both victims and the communities at their source, sometimes entangled with crimes like human trafficking. Their toll on national economies is severe, costing over 4% of Pakistan’s GDP, for example. There is urgent need for the industry to restore trust and introduce stronger anti-fraud safeguards.

Join our Working Groups and Communities

Scam prevention FAQs

How does this initiative support other GSMA projects to combat scams in the mobile industry and wider ecosystem?

Collaboration, partnership and actionable intelligence-sharing are the cornerstone of the GSMA’s work. Through the GSMA Fraud & Security Group (FASG) and the Telecommunication Information Sharing and Analysis Center (T-ISAC), the GSMA continuously works with members and the wider mobile ecosystem to identify new threats, facilitate intelligence sharing on a global scale and drive the industry’s work to combat scams. The GSMA Open Gateway initiative and Scam Signal are helping to unite the mobile and financial services industries behind standardised technology solutions that can assist in combating this crime. The GSMA is also a committed member of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, a cross-industry initiative, focused on creating a world where people are safe from the financial and emotional distress caused by online scams.

What other initiatives has the mobile industry been working on?

Our ‘Fraud and Scams: Staying Safe in the Mobile World’ report outlines much of the activity we’re undertaking as an industry, including Scam Signal, GSMA Open Gateway. This is in addition to the Fraud and Security Group and T-ISAC which our members, and the wider mobile ecosystem, work together to identify new threats, share intelligence, and combat scams.

How is the mobile industry collaborating with governments and financial institutions to help raise awareness?

It is our job to ensure the mobile industry, working with other stakeholders, uses the tools at its disposal to tackle these crimes. However, we can’t do it alone, and we look to governments and regulators, banks, and financial institutions to work with us to do more by increasing awareness and educating consumers on how they can navigate the online world safely and securely.

Source: 1. BioCatch 2025 Global Scams Report, 2. GASA Global State of Scams Report 2025 , 3. Hiya.com