DoT directs telcos to block fraudsters using IMEI numbers on a pan-India basis
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) took a significant step against cybercrime and digital fraud on Friday by suspending 24,228 mobile connections with immediate effect.
The DoT has directed the telecom service providers to block the IMEI numbers on a pan-India basis.
The DoT crackdown came after complaints by ‘good Samaritans’ who lodged complaints of cyber fraud on the government portal – Chaksu. The cyber fraudsters reportedly misused these mobile numbers for cybercrime and other fraudulent activities.
These 24,228 mobile connections were found to be linked with 42 unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and suspected of repeated fraudulent activity. These 42 IMEI numbers were linked with three mobile numbers.
The IMEI number is a distinctive 15-digit serial number assigned to each mobile handset for identification purposes. Each phone is assigned a unique IMEI number. Recently, linking IMEI numbers with multiple phone numbers has become a cause for concern.
The government portal – Chaksu- is an online DoT service that facilitates citizens to report suspected fraud communications. Users can register their complaints on the sancharsaathi.gov.in portal about impersonation or any misuse of services through phone calls, SMS, or WhatsApp.
Launched in March, the service triggers the re-verification of suspected fraudulent numbers. If the numbers fail re-verification, it gets disconnected.
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