The proof of concept has blocked 2m fraudulent SMSs since August 2025 and the UK operator group’s work now includes the Co-op Bank and TSB
UK banks lose £1.17 billion a year due to fraud, according to UK Finance. VodafoneThree collaborated to develop a proof of concept (PoC) to help banks tackle fraud and protect their customers. It worked with with Barclays Bank, in partnership with the Mobile Ecosystem Forum and Cyber Defence Alliance
The PoC devised a way to help block fraudulent SMS messages before they reach banking customers, while allowing legitimate messages to reach their destination. The trial has since expanded to include The Co-operative Bank, which is now part of the Coventry Building Society, and TSB.
Since August 2025, the tech has stopped more than 2 million fraudulent messages from reaching participating banks’ customers. VodafoneThree says this has reflects an estimated 25% increase in blocked scam messages on its network. Recent malicious SMS messages focus on impersonating banks and asking customers to share their personal or financial information urgently via scam phone numbers or phishing links included in the messages.
The PoC builds on VodafoneThree’s existing scam prevention tools, which blocked more than 139 million fraudulent SMS in 2025. Now VodafoneThree is working closely with banks to add bespoke rules to its firewall for SMS. The added intelligence can differentiate between fraudulent SMS content and legitimate communications fom banks to their customers.
Rachel Andrews, Director of Corporate Security and Fraud, VodafoneThree, said, “Preventing fraud on our network and protecting trust in the UK’s digital economy is a huge priority. With fraud now accounting for 44% of all crime, no single organisation can tackle it alone.
“We’re working closely with banks, government, law enforcement, and industry partners to stay ahead, evolving our capabilities as quickly as fraudsters change their tactics. What’s clear is that we need to innovate as well, scaling new solutions like this is crucial in making the UK one of the toughest places in the world for fraudsters to operate.”
George Hulland, Fraud Prevention Manager, TSB, added, “For too long, UK households have lost life-changing sums to cruel fraudsters posing as their bank, so this much-needed intervention with Vodafone should help cut scams off at source. Fraud can only be tackled with different businesses coming together, and this is a great example of cross-sector collaboration to protect consumers.
“Banks will never ask you for personal information, or to transfer money to them – so if you’re ever asked, hang up, it’s fraud.”
