Government Takes Strong Action Against Telecom Fraud: Disconnects 3.4 Crore Mobiles and Blocks 17 Lakh WhatsApp Accounts

Key Takeaways

Disconnection of over 3.4 crore mobile devices.
Blocking of 3.19 lakh IMEI numbers.
16.97 lakh WhatsApp accounts disabled.
20,000 bulk SMS senders blacklisted.
Reduction in UTM complaints.

New Delhi, March 21 (NationPress) In a decisive move to tackle telecom fraud, the government announced on Friday that it has disconnected over 3.4 crore mobile phones and blocked 3.19 lakh IMEI numbers through the Sanchar Saathi portal. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) reported that with the assistance of AI and Big Data, it has also disabled 16.97 lakh WhatsApp accounts.

As part of the DoT's Sanchar Saathi initiative, more than 20,000 bulk SMS senders have been blacklisted, according to Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, in a written response in the Rajya Sabha.

The government has set up a mechanism allowing citizens to report suspected fraud communications through the Chakshu facility on the Sanchar Saathi portal.

DoT then conducts various analyses and takes appropriate measures on telecom resources identified as misused, as stated by the minister.

Instead of responding to each reported suspected fraud communication, the DoT utilizes crowd-sourced data for analysis to effectively pinpoint misuse of telecom resources.

The Department employs an AI-based tool and big data analysis to detect mobile connections acquired using fraudulent documents.

Moreover, DoT and telecom service providers have developed a system for near real-time detection and blocking of incoming international spoofed calls that display Indian mobile numbers, which seem to be originating from within India, as mentioned by the minister.

In addition, telecom service providers have blacklisted 1,150 entities/individuals and have disconnected more than 18.8 lakh resources.

These actions have resulted in a noticeable decline in complaints against unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) -- dropping from 1,89,419 in August 2024 to 1,34,821 in January 2025.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) revised the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018 on February 12.

Customers can now file a complaint regarding spam or unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) within seven days of receiving spam, an extension from the previous three-day limit.

The timeframe for action against UCC from unregistered senders has been shortened from 30 days to 5 days, according to the amendments.

To guarantee swift action against UCC senders, the criteria for addressing complaints have been updated and made more rigorous.