Synopsis
On March 4, the Centre alerted miscreants about the serious implications of tampering with telecom resources, such as mobile numbers and IMEI. Offenders may face imprisonment for up to three years or hefty fines, emphasizing the need for vigilance in telecom operations.Key Takeaways
- Misuse of telecom resources is a serious offense.
- Penalties include up to three years imprisonment.
- Fines can reach Rs 50 lakh.
- Fraudsters use SIM cards and identifiers for cybercrimes.
- Countermeasures are being implemented by the DoT.
New Delhi, March 4 (NationPress) The Centre on Tuesday cautioned miscreants against the manipulation or spoofing of telecom resources, including mobile numbers, IP addresses, IMEI numbers, and SMS headers. Such offenses can result in imprisonment for a period of up to three years, a fine reaching Rs 50 lakh, or both.
Fraudsters are employing various methods to exploit telecom resources. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has identified instances where miscreants obtain Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards or other telecom identifiers such as SMS headers to disseminate bulk messages to citizens through deceitful practices.
“It has been noted that certain individuals acquire SIM cards under their own names and subsequently provide them to others for use. Occasionally, those who receive the SIM misuse it for cyber frauds, thereby implicating the original user as well,” stated the Ministry of Communications.
The Department has initiated several measures to combat the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud.
It has also been noted that in some cases, SIM cards are obtained using forged documentation, fraud, or impersonation.
“This constitutes an offense under the Telecommunication Act, 2023. At times, it has been discovered that Point of Sale entities are complicit in such procurements, which amounts to abetting the crime,” the Department remarked.
Instances have also been reported where miscreants alter telecommunications identifiers like Calling Line Identity (CLI), commonly known as phone numbers, using various methods including mobile applications.
Other telecom identifiers, which uniquely identify a user or device, such as IP addresses, IMEI, and SMS headers, are also tampered with to send fraudulent messages.
All of these actions infringe upon the provisions of the Telecommunication Act, 2023 and are classified as offenses under this legislation. Section 42 (3) (c) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 explicitly prohibits the tampering of telecommunications identifiers.
“According to Section 42(3), such offenses carry penalties of imprisonment for up to three years and fines that may reach fifty lakh rupees, or both. Section 42 (6) of the Act also outlines the same penalties for those who assist in any violations of the Act,” the Department informed.
