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Scam calls are turning the world on its head. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates that scammers stole a staggering $1.03 trillion globally in 2023, including losses from online fraud and scam calls. Robocalls and phone scams have long been a frustratingand often dangerousproblem for consumers. Now, artificial intelligence is elevating the threat, making scams more deceptive, efficient, and harder to detect. While Eric Priezkalns, an analyst and editor at Commsrisk, believes the impact of AI on scam calls is currently exaggerated, he notes that the use of AI by scammers is focused on producing fake content, which looks real or on varying the content in messages designed to lure potential victims into malicious conversations. Varying the content makes it much more difficult to identify and block scams using traditional anti-scam controls, he tells Fast Company. From AI-generated deepfake voices that mimic loved ones to large-scale fraud operations that use machine learning to evade detection, bad actors are exploiting AI to supercharge these scam calls. The big question is: How can the telecom industry combat this problem head-on before fraudsters wreak even more havoc? SCAMMERS ARE UPGRADING THEIR PLAYBOOK WITH AI Until recently, phone scams mostly relied on crude robocallsprerecorded messages warning recipients about an urgent financial issue or a supposed problem with their Social Security number. These tactics, while persistent, were often easy to recognize. But todays AI-powered scams are far more convincing. One of the most alarming developments is the use of AI-generated voices, which make scams feel disturbingly personal. In a chilling case from April 2023, a mother in Arizona received a desperate call from what sounded exactly like her daughter, sobbing and pleading for help. A scammer, posing as a kidnapper, demanded ransom money. In reality, the daughter was safethe criminals had used AI to clone her voice from a social media video. These scams, known as voice cloning fraud, have surged in recent months. With just a few seconds of audio, AI tools can now create an eerily realistic digital clone of a persons voice, enabling fraudsters to impersonate friends, family members, or even executives in corporate scams. Scammers are also using AI to analyze vast amounts of data and fine-tune their schemes with chilling precision. Machine learning algorithms can sift through public informationsocial media posts, online forums, and data breachesto craft hyper-personalized scam calls. Instead of a generic IRS or tech support hoax, fraudsters can now target victims with specific details about their purchases, travel history, or even medical conditions. AI is also enhancing caller ID spoofing, allowing scammers to manipulate phone numbers to appear as if they are coming from local businesses, government agencies, or even a victims own contacts. This increases the likelihood that people will pick up, making scam calls harder to ignore. TELECOMS COUNTEROFFENSIVE: AI VS. AI As fraudsters sharpen their AI tools, telecom companies and regulators are fighting back with artificial intelligence of their owndeploying advanced systems to detect, trace, and block malicious calls before they ever reach consumers. 1. Call authentication and AI-based fraud detection To combat spoofing, telecom carriers are leveraging AI-powered voice analysis and authentication technologies. In the U.S., the STIR/SHAKEN framework uses cryptographic signatures to verify that calls originate from legitimate sources. But as scammers quickly adapt, AI-driven fraud detection is becoming essential. Machine learning models trained on billions of call patterns can analyze real-time metadata to flag anomaliessuch as sudden spikes in calls from specific regions or numbers linked to known scams. These AI systems can even detect subtle acoustic markers typical of deepfake-generated voices, helping stop fraudulent calls before they connect. 2. Carrier-level call filtering and blocking Major telecom providers are embedding AI-powered call filtering directly into their networks. AT&Ts Call Protect, T-Mobiles Scam Shield, and Verizons Call Filter all use AI to spot suspicious patterns and block high-risk calls before they reach users. The GSMAs Call Check and International Revenue Share Fraud (IRSF) solutions also provide real-time call protection by verifying legitimacy and combating calling line identity spoofing. For context, GSMAs IRSF Prevention leverages first-party International Premium Rate Numbers (IPRN) data and an advanced OSINT (open-source intelligence) platform to deliver real-time, actionable fraud intelligence. It tracks over 20 million IPRNs, hijacked routes, and targeted networkshelping telecoms proactively combat IRSF and Wangiri fraud. 3. AI-powered voice biometrics for caller verification Another promising line of defense against AI-generated fraud is voice biometrics. Some financial institutions and telecom providers are deploying voice authentication systems that analyze more than 1,000 unique vocal characteristics to verify a callers identity. Unlike basic voice recognition, these advanced systems can detect when an AI-generated voice is being usedeffectively preventing fraudsters from impersonating legitimate customers. REGULATORS ARE CRACKING DOWN, BUT IS IT ENOUGH? Its one thing to tighten regulations and stiffen penaltiessomething many government agencies around the world are already doingbut effectively enforcing those regulations is a different ball game altogether. In the U.S., for example, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has ramped up penalties for illegal robocalls and is pushing carriers to adopt stricter AI-powered defenses. The TRACED (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence) Act, signed into law in 2019, gives regulators more power to fine scammers and mandates stronger anti-spoofing measures. Internationally, regulators in the U.K., Canada, and Australia are working on similar AI-driven frameworks to protect consumers from rising fraud. The European Union has introduced stricter data privacy laws, limiting how AI can be used to harvest personal data for scam operations. However, enforcement struggles to keep pace with the speed of AI innovation. Scammers operate globally, often beyond the jurisdiction of any single regulator. Many fraud rings are based in countries where legal action is dificultif not nearly impossible. Take, for example, countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, where organized crime groups have established cyber scam centers that use AI-powered deepfakes to deceive victims worldwide. Operators in these scam centers frequently relocate or shift tactics to stay ahead of law enforcement. They also operate in regions with complex jurisdictional challenges, further complicating enforcement. Scammers thrive on fragmentation and exploit vulnerabilitieswhether thats a lack of industry coordination or differing regulatory approaches across borders. These regulatory bottlenecks underscore why telecom providers must take a more proactive role in combating AI-driven fraud, rather than relying solely on traditional frameworks whichwhile helpfulare not always efficient. Thats where the GSMA Call Check technology, developed by German telecom solutions provider Oculeus, could play a vital role. The GSMAs Call Check services provide a simple, fast and low-cost mechanism for the exchange of information about scam phone calls as they occur. This technology is rooted in the cloud, making it future-proof and global in a way that other methods being contemplated by some nations will never be, Commsrisk‘s Priezkalns says. FAR FROM OVER Without question, the battle against AI-powered scams is far from over. As former FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel noted last year: We know that AI technologies will make it cheap and easy to flood our networks with deepfakes used to mislead and betray trust. The good news is that the telecom industry isnt backing down. While scammers are using AI to deceive unsuspecting individuals, the industry is also leveraging AI to protect customers and their sensitive datathrough automated call screening, real-time fraud detection, and enhanced authentication measures. But according to Priezkalns, technology alone isnt enough to protect people. For him, deterrencedriven by the legal prosecution of scammersis just as important as technological solutions. It needs to be used in conjunction with law enforcement agencies that proactively arrest scammers and legal systems that ensure scammers are punished for their crimes, he says. One thing is certain: Scammers and scams arent going away anytime soon. As Priezkalns points out, people will continue to fall for scams even with high-intensity public awareness training. But as AI continues to evolve, the telecom industry must stay a step aheadensuring it becomes a force for protection, not deception. And with tools like the GSMAs Call Check, that future is within reach.
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E-Commerce
Greg Creed spent 25 years at Yum Brands, including more than a decade in leadership roles at Taco Bell, before he retired from the company in 2020. He offered this unsolicited advice after a rough quarter for McDonalds, in which same-store sales fell over 3%, the companys worst drop since the pandemic. The problem, Creed asserts, is that McDonalds isnt chasing menu options that its customers will crave. And without a menu that elicits a strong reactioneither positive or negativefrom diners, McDonald’s is just being beige. Nothing as a brand is worse than being beige, Creed wrote in a recent LinkedIn post. It upsets no one, but lets be honest: No one loves beige. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/Expedite-Icon-E-white-background.jpg.jpg","headline":"Expedite","description":"Restaurant technology and the big ideas shaping the future of hospitality, by Kristen Hawley. To learn more visit expedite.news","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.expedite.news\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} In the companys first-quarter earnings report, McDonalds CEO Chris Kempczinski cited uncertain economic and geopolitical conditions as reasons for the sales slump. Traffic to McDonalds fell more than expected, even as the company leaned into its value messaging. Still, McDonalds has raised prices as inflation persists. Were not immune to the volatility in the industry or the pressures that our consumers are facing, Kempczinski said. Comparatively, though, Taco Bell is killing it. In the first three months of the year, sales are up 9%. Traffic is up too, regardless of customer income. These numbers were a bright spot for Yum Brands, also the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, which reported mixed results in the first quarter. I know this is a tough operating environment for everybody else in the industry, Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs said during his companys recent earnings call. It just is probably an environment that favors Taco Bell, and thats what youre seeing there, firing on all cylinders. From his position on the outside, Creed can only speculate on whats happening. But his hunch is Taco Bells success comes from its willingness to aggressively push new menu items, like its crispy chicken nuggets, a former limited-time offering that just made it onto the menu for good. Its not that McDonalds cant innovate, Creed says, its that the companys structurewhere he guesses operators have more input on menu items than the marketing departmentis slowing it down. I always thought of McDonalds as an operating company, Creed said via email. Whereas I used to say when I ran Taco Bell, that we are a marketing company that just happens to sell Mexican-inspired food. Process aside, Kempczinski expects McDonalds fortune to turn. Like Taco Bell, its adding more fried chicken to the menu with this weeks nationwide launch of fried chicken tenders called McCrispy Strips, and plans to lean hard on its value offerings to reach a stretched consumer. The biggest co-sign of Creeds analysis, though, comes from current Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant. In response to Creeds LinkedIn screed, he wrote: Nuggets (pun intended) of gold, Greg. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/Expedite-Icon-E-white-background.jpg.jpg","headline":"Expedite","description":"Restaurant technology and the big ideas shaping the future of hospitality, by Kristen Hawley. To learn more visit expedite.news","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.expedite.news\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. The speed and breadth of the changing political/cultural status quo in the U.S. has been breathtaking and disorienting for brand leaders across the tech/business community. Some leaders have gone all in to kiss the ring of the new status quo. Many more are wrestling with the question How do I continue to support the ideals my brand believes in without causing serious self-sabotage? This article is intended as a conversation starter, not a neat solution, and is informed by decades of experience of building the most influential brands as well as a series of 2025 interviews with leading founders. It puts forward a set of three principles and concrete actions to help leaders get on the front foot again. 1. Rebrand initiatives for minimum drama, maximum impact Inspiration: The rebranding of progressive finance We can learn from the example of the progressive finance community, which is in the process of rebranding its entire category, swapping trigger words such as ESG for terms like energy security. Surveying fund managers and analysts, the FT noted, The new world of sustainable investment will have a greater focus on energy transition, better regulation, and less virtue signalingESG as a synonym for sustainable investment is likely to disappear but the trend, in its revamped form, will continue. This is a great example of reframing language to focus on the nondebatable goal of ensuring our energy suppliers resilience, no matter what your view on the causes and speed of climate change. 2. Stick to your values, but focus on outcomes: The Flo Health approach Flo Health, a leading womens health app, successfully navigated the post-Roe v. Wade landscape by focusing on science-backed healthcare outcomes rather than political rhetoric. Instead of engaging in ideological debates, the company stayed true to its missionimproving womens healthby highlighting established medical research demonstrating the negative impact of restricted reproductive care. This wasnt just talk; it sparked tangible innovation. Flo Health introduced Anonymous Mode, a game-changing feature that allows users to track their menstrual cycles without fear of their data being misused. The move resonated deeply with users, addressing concerns about digital privacy at a time of heightened vulnerability. The results speak for themselves. By keeping the focus on action rather than controversy, Flo Health experienced a 55% surge in paid subscribers, solidifying its position as Europes first femtech unicorn. In the U.S., the app has become an essential tool for reproductive health, with an estimated 40% of women who were trying to conceive, relying on it. Flo Healths approach underscores a key lesson: Brands can stand by their values and drive meaningful impact without performative statements, earning both community trust and business success. 3. Adopt an adaptive Day One mindset focused on current needs over historical wrongs This mindset has long been advocated by innovative CEOs, treating each day as if its the first, willing to let go of the past with a focus on excellence and opportunity. I believe that now is the time for brand leaders to apply the same lens in a new world with a new set of rules. Reduce talk of correcting historical injustices and focus more on actions that drive the maximum benefit for the majority of people. Example: Rockets blockbuster Super Bowl activation Rocket, a leading provider of mortgages in the U.S., returned to the Super Bowl in 2025 with a goal to unite a divided nation around the principle that everyone deserves a shot at home ownership. The campaign was intentionally crafted to find common ground from the choice of music (one of the U.S.s most beloved country tracks) to representative, authentic casting from young families to veterans, to the topic with 94% of Americans believing that homeownership is part of the American dream. With two million people visiting Rocket.com within an hour and the largest brand lift of any Super Bowl advertiser, the impact illustrates the power of the approach with feedback showing that people from both sides of the political spectrum saw themselves in it. Final word Navigating this complex landscape requires courage and a commitment to acting with intention, orienting towards inclusive solutions over rallying against partisan problems. There is no one-size-fits-all formula but adopting a Day One mindset offers a way forward where values drive decisions but outcomes drive communications. A blend of purpose and pragmatism to achieve maximum impact with minimum drama. The examples above illustrate how this strategy can yield significant benefits, from strengthening community trust to driving commercial success. Were all writing the new playbook for purpose-driven performance in real time, and I remain stubbornly optimistic that this evolution will, over time, elevate the industrys ability to create lasting cultural and business impact Neil Barrie is cofounder and global CEO of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand.
Category:
E-Commerce
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