DoT Proposes New Cybersecurity Rules To Curb Mobile Number Fraud

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed amendments to the cybersecurity framework to reduce fraud pertaining to the misuse of mobile numbers.

According to a draft notification of the amended Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2024, the DoT has suggested creating a mobile number validation (MNV) platform that will be accessible to telecom operators and entities such as banks, financial institutions, and ecommerce companies.

These authorised stakeholders will be allowed to verify users’ mobile numbers by paying a prescribed fee.

“A telecommunication identifier user entity (TIUE) may suo moto, or shall, upon a direction from central or state government or an agency authorised by the central or state government, place a request on the MNV platform,” the draft added.

Once the request is placed on the platform, the entities shall pay the fee. The platform can then verify if the mobile number matches the user details in the official telecom database.

The telecom department also stated that in this case, the authorised entities must comply with applicable data protection laws. It also specified that if the entity is raising a request on direction of the state or central government, the fee should be INR 1.5 per request.

Otherwise, the entities should be liable to pay INR 3 per request.

The Digital Fraud Spike

As per government data, Indians lost INR 1,935.51 Cr to digital arrest scams in 2024. Around 1.23 Lakh complaints related to such frauds were lodged on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Furthermore, 17,718 incidents of digital arrest scams were reported in the first two months of 2025 itself.

In September last year, the telecom department disconnected over 1 Cr mobile connections to check pesky callers and fraudsters. Out of which , 2.27 Lakh mobile handsets  were blocked for involvement in cybercrime and financial fraud.

Earlier this year, the government also rolled out two new initiatives — Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) and ‘Chakshu’ facility to combat cybercrime and financial fraud.

While DIP is a secure and integrated platform for real time intelligence sharing, information exchange and coordination among the stakeholders, Chakshu facilitates citizens to report suspected fraud communication received over call, SMS or WhatsApp such as claiming KYC expiration, requesting updates to bank accounts, payment wallets and more. 

Along with the efforts made by the government, telecom giants are also stepping up to curb cybersecurity frauds.

For instance, Airtel launched its AI-led fraud detection solution in September last year. The telecom giant has claimed that  it managed to safeguard more than 3.5 Mn users in Delhi from cyber threats through this advanced system.