DoT Rolls Out New System To Block Spoofed International Calls

SUMMARY

While an estimated 4.5 Mn spoofed calls have been blocked under the first phase, the second phase is expected to be commissioned shortly

The DoT has disconnected 1.77 Cr mobile connections acquired through fake documents and blocked 33.48 Lakh connections used by cybercriminals

Furthermore, nearly 11 Lakh bank accounts associated with fraudulent connections have been frozen, and 71,000 SIM agents have been blacklisted

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) plans to launch the second phase of a centralised system soon to block international spoofed calls.

Spoofed calls are fraudulent international calls that appear to originate from Indian mobile numbers. As per the DoT, the system has been envisaged with an eye on curbing the growing number of incidents involving fake threats of mobile disconnection and arrests, and impersonation of government officials.

The implementation of the system has been divided into two phases. The first phase, which has already been executed by all four major telecom service providers (TSPs), focusses on preventing calls spoofed with numbers of subscribers from the same telecom operator.

So far, about one-third of the estimated 4.5 Mn spoofed calls entering the Indian telecom network have been blocked under the first phase. The second phase will expand the effort to eliminate spoofed calls across all TSPs and is expected to be commissioned shortly.

To further combat these threats, the DoT has introduced several initiatives. One of these is the Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU), aimed at curbing the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud.

Additionally, the DoT has developed the Sanchar Saathi portal, which serves as a citizen-centric platform allowing users to report suspected fraudulent communications and unsolicited messages, report stolen or lost handsets, verify the genuineness of mobile devices before purchase, and report incoming international calls with Indian numbers.

Moreover, the DoT has launched the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), a secure online platform that facilitates real-time information sharing among stakeholders such as telecom operators, law enforcement, and banks to prevent telecom misuse.

The DoT also said that it has disconnected 1.77 Cr mobile connections acquired through fake documents. It has also taken targeted actions, including blocking 33.48 Lakh connections and 49,930 handsets used by cybercriminals.

It has also traced 12.02 Lakh out of 21.03 Lakh reported stolen mobile phones and blocked 2.29 Lakh devices linked to cybercrime activities.

Furthermore, approximately 11 Lakh bank accounts associated with fraudulent connections have been frozen, and 71,000 SIM agents have been blacklisted, with 365 FIRs registered across various states.

Last month, it was reported that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and DoT jointly disconnected over 1 Cr mobile connections to check pesky callers and fraudsters.

TRAI is said to be mulling for compulsory name display on incoming calls. However, it has faced delays due to tech-related issues to roll out the plan.