FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

As Director of Research , the core of Dr Nikolay Gaubitch ’ s work is the development of new technologies to push the frontiers of voice security .

“ However , I also interact with customers directly , to understand their specific needs and pain points in order to ensure that they get the most out of our technology ,” he explains . ” This has given me the unique combination of insight of the fraud and authentication challenges in various industry verticals and an in-depth understanding of the technology that addresses these challenges .”

AI and combatting fraud When it comes to combatting voice / telephony fraud , AI has a key role to play .

The perceived anonymity of the voice channel makes it attractive to fraudsters who not only seek to conceal their identity but aim to impersonate that of their victims too . “ Where in the past you might have met with your local bank manager , nowadays it is rare for a call centre agent to have any familiarity with callers , making it tempting and easy for a fraudster to step into a customer ’ s shoes ,” Gaubitch says .

“ Exploiting telephony requires a lower level of technical expertise than cybercrime targeting online channels . Moreover , call agents are first and foremost focused on providing a positive customer experience to their dozens of callers a day . Their job is not to identify potential fraudsters .

“ The clear attraction of the telephony channel for fraudsters has led to the innovative developments of tools that utilise AI and Machine Learning ( ML ) to rapidly assess the caller ’ s voice , device , and behaviour , identifying any subtle signs that indicate a potential fraudster .

20 May 2023