Under the updated KYC norms, a subscriber would have to undertake a complete KYC for replacement of SIM card
With an eye on curbing fraudulent practices, the government has made it mandatory for telecom operators to register all franchisees, agents and distributors
Giving details about the Sanchar Saathi portal, the government said over 66 Lakh suspected mobile connections have been detected since its launch and action taken on them
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In a bid to tackle the rising cybercrimes and financial frauds, the government has further tightened the know-your-customer (KYC) process related to mobile SIM cards, including for business connections.
Besides, the Ministry of Communications has also introduced a series of regulations to prevent misuse of SIM cards through distributors and agents.
“Strengthening of the existing KYC process is one of the tools in protecting the subscribers of telecom services from any probable frauds and thereby enhancing the confidence of the general public in the digital ecosystem,” the ministry said in a statement.
Under the updated KYC norms, demographic details will mandatorily be captured by scanning QR code of printed Aadhaar in order to prevent misuse of Aadhaar. A subscriber would also have to undertake a complete KYC for replacement of SIM card and there would be a bar of 24 hours on outgoing and incoming SMS facilities.
If a mobile number is disconnected, the number would not be allocated to a new customer for a period of 90 days.
Besides, the government has also introduced various checks for mobile connections for businesses. While entities are free to take any number of mobile connections, it would be subject to complete KYC of all the end users and physical verification of the address of the entity.
Telecom operators or licensees will also have to register all franchisees, agents and distributors. The step is taken with an eye on curbing fraudulent practices by these point of sale (PoS) entities who issue SIM cards to anti-social/anti-national elements, the government said.
“The PoS registration process includes indisputable verification of PoS by licensee. The process mandates written agreement between the PoS and the Licensees. If a PoS indulges in any illegal activities, it will be terminated and blacklisted for a period of 3 years,” the statement said.
All existing PoS will also have to be registered within a period of 12 months.
The development comes at a time when there has been a rise in cybercrimes through WhatsApp, Telegram, among others. Earlier this year, the government also launched the Sanchar Saathi portal to curb these frauds.
Providing details about the portal’s progress, the ministry said that over 66 Lakh suspected mobile connections have been detected through the portal since its launch. Of these, nearly 52 lakh connections have been disconnected for failing reverification.
Besides, the government also banned over 66,000 WhatsApp accounts in the past three months as part of its crackdown on spam job calls.
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