Telecom operator MTS has carried out a deep update of its protective algorithms in the "Zashchitnik" service, and the results are impressive. The modernized system, based on three simultaneously operating AI models, now detects and neutralizes unwanted calls twice as fast. The average response time has been reduced from 30 to 15 seconds, and the accuracy of identifying complex multi-step fraud schemes has tripled. This is not just a cosmetic improvement, but a fundamental shift in the fight against phone fraud.
The upgrade is aimed at scammers who constantly change their pressure tactics on victims and move to multi-stage attacks. Now, during call analysis, three AI models simultaneously evaluate more than 1,100 call parameters every second. Not only the technical characteristics of the connection are taken into account, but also the context of the conversation, the speed of the interlocutor's speech, and other signs of suspicious activity.
How the updated "Zashchitnik" works
From January to July 2026, the service detected and blocked more than 1.5 billion spam and fraudulent calls. This volume clearly demonstrates how widespread phone fraud has become in Russia. The algorithms pay special attention to multi-stage schemes where attackers make several consecutive calls to one person. To improve accuracy, the models were retrained on new data and supplemented with more complex language algorithms.
The company emphasizes that the update allows for a faster response to changing scammers' methods. The time during which a user remains under psychological pressure from attackers is also reduced. Phone calls often become just the first link in an attack: the victim is provoked into transferring money, including in cryptocurrency.
Other schemes for deceiving Russians
Artificial intelligence helps not only to defend, but also to attack. Cyber police have identified cases where chatbots directed buyers to fake stores through a "data poisoning" technique, pre-filling the network with fake reviews and false information for indexing.
A separate wave of crimes is associated with fictitious access to cryptocurrency. Scammers send out offers to buy top coins for rubles at a fixed Central Bank rate and lure victims to a phishing site disguised as a closed gateway of the Moscow Exchange. Another tool for stealing assets is drainers. F6 specialists have recorded at least three hacker groups that disguise malware as partner investment programs and empty wallets after connection via a QR code.
Attackers have not bypassed messengers either. Under the guise of secretary bots in Telegram, infostealers are distributed that steal passwords, session tokens, and cryptocurrency wallet data. Such scams often end in criminal cases. In Moscow, police detained a courier who collected cash from pensioners, converted it into digital assets, and sent it to accomplices — the damage from two episodes exceeded 6 million rubles.
The modernization of "Zashchitnik" is an important step, but it highlights a worrying trend: phone fraud is becoming increasingly technological and integrated with the cryptocurrency landscape. Users should remember that no AI can replace basic digital hygiene, and crypto investors should critically verify any offers of "guaranteed" income or exchanges at "special" rates.