Nagoya University and Fujitsu will begin the first field trials of technology for detecting phone scams at households.

These trials, commencing in August in Japan's Okayama Prefecture, will be in collaboration with the Okayama Prefectural Police, the Okayama Pref. Information Communications unit of the National Police Agency's Chugoku Regional Police Bureau, and The Chugoku Bank.

During the trials, when the technology detects a call suspected of being a phone scam targeting a monitored household, it will first warn the participant with a synthesized voice message. Next, the system will send an e-mail alarm to the person's family members, as well as the police, banks and other relevant institutions. After receiving an alert, each party can take steps to prevent the fraud from occurring. For example, police can visit the participant's household, while banks can temporarily freeze the person's bank account and be on alert.

The new field trials will help to improve the accuracy of phone scam detection technology, in addition to testing the ability of groups such as families, police and banks to prevent fraud. Going forward, Nagoya University and Fujitsu will explore how to prevent phone fraud before it actually occurs.

Nagoya University and Fujitsu have previously developed technology for detecting situations of "overtrust" that focuses on an individual's tone of voice, as well as basic technology for detecting phone scams that employs detection technology capable of picking up on keywords characteristic of such scams. The new field trials were planned after confirming in simulation test calls that the detection accuracy of the technology had reached a sufficient level.

Throughout the field trials, Nagoya University and Fujitsu will make improvements to the technology's detection accuracy based on interim trial results. These improvements will then be incorporated into the detection equipment installed at participating households. Upon completing the field trials, the organizations will explore approaches for commercializing the technology, including how it can be used in daily life, while also studying methods of preventing phone fraud before it actually occurs.