DoT combats telecom frauds
The Central government announced on Friday that it has disconnected 1.77 crore mobile connections that were registered using fake or forged documents, employing artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools to enhance the process.
In addition to this significant disconnection, four Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have collaborated with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to implement an advanced system that has successfully blocked 45 lakh spoofed international calls from entering the Indian telecom network.
“The next phase, involving a centralized system designed to eliminate remaining spoofed calls across all TSPs, is expected to be commissioned shortly,” the Ministry of Communications stated.
The DoT has rolled out an advanced system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls before they reach Indian subscribers. This initiative is being implemented in two phases: first at the TSP level to prevent calls spoofed with the phone numbers of their own subscribers, and subsequently at a central level to stop calls spoofed with numbers from other TSPs.
As part of the crackdown on fraudulent connections, the government has disconnected 33.48 lakh mobile connections and blocked 49,930 mobile handsets used by cybercriminals in identified hotspots across the country. Additionally, about 77.61 lakh mobile connections that exceeded the prescribed limits for individual users have been disconnected, and 2.29 lakh mobile phones linked to cybercrime or fraudulent activities have been blocked.
The DoT reported that 12.02 lakh out of 21.03 lakh reported stolen or lost mobile phones have been traced. Furthermore, approximately 20,000 entities, 32,000 SMS headers, and 2 lakh SMS templates involved in sending malicious messages have been disconnected.
In financial actions tied to these fraudulent connections, about 11 lakh accounts linked to disconnected mobile connections have been frozen by banks and payment wallets. Additionally, nearly 11 lakh WhatsApp profiles associated with these connections have been disengaged.
The DoT also announced that 71,000 Point of Sale (SIM agents) have been blacklisted, and 365 FIRs have been registered across various states and union territories as part of the ongoing efforts to combat telecom fraud.
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