In response to the misuse of international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers for cybercrime, the Department of Telecommunications and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) in India have devised a system to identify and block such calls from reaching Indian telecom subscribers. These calls often impersonate government officials or police to extort money or sensitive information.
The statement issued by the Ministry of Communications emphasizes that TSPs are already blocking spoofed calls with Indian landline numbers and have been directed to extend this measure to international calls.
To further enhance citizen safety, the department has launched the Sanchar Saathi portal, a citizen-centric platform where users can report suspected fraud communications. The portal aims to provide a layer of protection against cybercriminals who use technology to commit fraud.
The Chakshu facility within the Sanchar Saathi platform allows individuals to flag fraudulent calls and text messages. This digital platform facilitates real-time intelligence sharing among stakeholders and contains information on cases detected as misuse of telecom resources.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced the creation of a grievance redressal platform for reporting inadvertently disconnected connections and a mechanism for returning frozen funds. The Chakshu facility serves as a backend repository for citizen-initiated requests on the Sanchar Saathi platform, enabling various stakeholders to take action.
Sanchar Saathi, launched in May 2021, has proven effective in empowering individuals. It has facilitated the tracing of over 700,000 mobile phones and detected more than 6.7 million suspicious communication attempts, helping to combat identity theft and other fraudulent activities.
