Telecom spam and scams in the 5G and artificial intelligence era: analyzing economic implications, technical challenges and global regulatory efforts

Abstract This paper addresses the enduring issue of spam, scams, and robocalls within the telecommunications sector. The diffusion of generative AI technologies has escalated these challenges. Advancements in natural language processing and related tools enhance the sophistication of scams, facilitating the implementation of convincing social engineering attacks. The economic impact of these nefarious activities is significant, as evidenced by the vast number of spam calls and robocalls generated every day that lead to significant time and financial losses. Although technologies such as blocklists, STIR/SHAKEN, and Caller ID Verification methods are being implemented, the adoption of these solutions by phone companies remains slow due to industry barriers and multi-national regulatory frameworks. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of current anti-spam countermeasures and highlights the practical limits of these solutions, underscoring the need for improved decision-making tools. It offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary survey of the problem, integrating technical, economic, and regulatory perspectives, and mapping out the vulnerabilities in existing protocols and the gaps in policy enforcement. Additionally, it examines recent regulatory changes and their effects on spam call dynamics, advocating for increased vigilance against evolving scam tactics. The study also considers the broader role of institutions in perpetuating this issue, which contributes to substantial industry turnover, and calls for a reassessment of strategies to combat these pervasive problems in the telecommunications domain.