In a decisive move against the rising threat of fraudulent international calls with fake Indian phone numbers, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) India has taken action by blocking 65 telecom setups in the fiscal year 2023–2024. The crackdown aims to tackle financial fraud, cybercrimes, and anti-national activities associated with illicit telecom operations.
Details of the Ban:
As part of the ongoing efforts, the DoT has identified and blocked a total of 65 illegal telecom setups in the current fiscal year, marking a substantial increase from 62 in FY 2022–2023 and 35 in FY 2021–2022. The move comes as a response to the escalating concern over fraudulent international calls that misuse Indian phone numbers.
An official from the Ministry of Communications highlighted that the DoT has directed International Long Distance Operators (ILDOS) to reject international incoming calls lacking Calling Line Identification (CLI) or having an improper CLI. Calls with CLI prefixes like +11, 011 & 11, +911 to +915 are also being rejected to prevent incoming international calls from fake Indian phone numbers.
Collaborative Efforts:
The DoT is working in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to identify and locate these illegal telecom setups. Such setups are frequently utilized for various illicit activities, including financial fraud and cybercrimes. Following the identification of these fake mobile numbers, telecom service providers are undertaking subscriber re-verification and disconnecting around 13.08 lakh such mobile connections to date.
App Blockade for Enhanced Security:
In addition to blocking telecom setups, the DoT is also taking measures to curb the use of apps that facilitate fake calls. These applications, which contribute to the growing menace of fraudulent calls, have been targeted on major platforms. The DoT has successfully blocked such fake call apps on Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play Store.
The combined efforts of blocking telecom setups and restricting the use of fraudulent call apps are aimed at bolstering the security of telecommunications and protecting users from falling victim to scams and cybercrimes.
