NEW DELHI, March 22: In a major crackdown on telecom fraud, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced on Friday that it has disconnected more than 3.4 crore mobile phones and blocked 3.19 lakh IMEI numbers, as part of its ongoing efforts to combat fraudulent activities through the Sanchar Saathi portal.
Leveraging advanced technology like AI and Big Data, the DoT has also taken significant action in the digital communication space, disengaging 16.97 lakh WhatsApp accounts involved in fraud. The initiative has further extended to blacklisting over 20,000 bulk SMS senders, as part of a broader effort to secure telecom services and protect citizens from deceptive practices.
In his written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, highlighted the effectiveness of the Sanchar Saathi initiative. This initiative allows citizens to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility. The DoT then conducts in-depth analysis and takes necessary actions against telecom resources linked to fraudulent activities, using crowdsourced data and AI-based tools to pinpoint fake mobile connections.
In addition to these measures, the DoT and telecom service providers (TSPs) have developed a system for the near real-time identification and blocking of incoming international spoofed calls. These calls typically display Indian mobile numbers, creating the illusion they originate from within the country. Furthermore, telecom service providers have blacklisted 1,150 individuals and entities, disconnecting over 18.8 lakh telecom resources linked to fraud.
The government’s efforts have shown results, as complaints against unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) significantly decreased—from 1,89,419 complaints in August 2024 to 1,34,821 in January 2025. In response to the growing challenge of unsolicited commercial communication (UCC), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has amended the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018. The amendments provide customers a seven-day window (up from three days) to file complaints regarding spam or UCC, while reducing the time for access providers to take action from 30 days to just five days.
