DoT Issues Advisory to Combat Fake Calls and Cyber Frauds

New Delhi: In light of increasing incidents of fraudulent calls and cybercrimes, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications, has issued a stern advisory urging citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious communications. The advisory comes as a response to the growing menace of fake calls threatening to disconnect mobile numbers or misuse them for illegal activities.

The DoT’s advisory also highlights the prevalence of WhatsApp calls originating from foreign numbers, impersonating government officials, and duping unsuspecting individuals. These deceptive tactics by cybercriminals aim to intimidate or extract personal information to perpetrate cybercrimes or financial frauds.

To combat this rising threat, the DoT emphasizes that neither the DoT nor the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) authorizes anyone to make such calls on their behalf. Citizens are urged to report any instances of fraud communications through the ‘Chakshu – Report Suspected Fraud Communications’ facility on the Sanchar Saathi portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc). This proactive reporting enables the DoT to prevent the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrimes and financial frauds.

Furthermore, citizens are encouraged to reach out to the cybercrime helpline number 1930 or visit www.cybercrime.gov.in if they have fallen victim to cybercrimes or financial frauds.

In a bid to curb suspected fraud communications and cybercrime activities, the DoT has implemented several measures:

Blacklisting Principal Entities: 52 entities responsible for sending malicious and phishing SMSs to citizens have been blacklisted.

Deactivation of SMS Templates: 700 SMS content templates have been deactivated to prevent fraudulent communication.

Handset Blacklisting: 348 mobile handsets have been blacklisted on a pan-India basis across all telecom operators.

Re-verification of Suspected Numbers: 10,834 suspected mobile numbers have been flagged for re-verification to telecom operators, leading to the disconnection of 8272 mobile connections failing re-verification by April 30, 2024.

Handset Blocking: 1.86 lakh mobile handsets have been blocked nationwide for their involvement in cybercrimes or financial frauds.

Additionally, the DoT has been regularly issuing advisories through press releases, SMS, and social media platforms to raise awareness about fake notices impersonating DoT/TRAI, suspected fraud communications, and malicious calls.