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India Disconnects 39 Lakh Mobile Numbers, Blacklists 2.27 Lakh Phones to Curb Fraud

The Indian government has disconnected 39.43 lakh mobile connections and blacklisted 2.27 lakh handsets in a major crackdown on cyber-crime and financial fraud. This action is part of the Sanchar Saathi initiative, which includes the Chakshu facility for citizens to report suspected fraud communications. The measures have reportedly prevented financial fraud amounting to over Rs 1,000 crore by declining transactions and alerting potential victims. Additionally, WhatsApp has disengaged 28 lakh profiles linked to the flagged mobile numbers as part of the collaborative effort.

Key Points: 39 Lakh Mobile Connections Cut, 2.27 Lakh Phones Blacklisted

  • 39.43 lakh mobile connections disconnected
  • 2.27 lakh mobile handsets blacklisted
  • Over Rs 1000 crore fraud prevented
  • Sanchar Saathi portal enables citizen reporting
2 min read

Cyber fraud: 39.43 lakh mobile connections disconnected, 2.27 lakh handsets blacklisted

Govt cracks down on cyber fraud: 39.43 lakh mobile connections disconnected, 2.27 lakh handsets blacklisted, preventing over Rs 1000 crore in losses.

"Based on 7.7 lakh inputs... 39.43 lakhs mobile connections have been disconnected - Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar"

New Delhi, Feb 5

The government said on Thursday that 39.43 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected, 2.27 lakh mobile handsets have been blacklisted and 1.31 lakh SMS templates have been blacklisted in the country, in a bid to prevent cyber-crimes and financial frauds.

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has established Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) for prevention of misuse of telecom resources in cyber-crimes and financial frauds, said Minister of State for Communications, Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

He further added that the DoT's Sanchar Saathi initiative is accessible through web portal and Mobile App.

Chakshu facility of Sanchar Saathi enables citizens to report suspected fraud communications under various categories.

The 'Sanchar Saathi' initiative empowers vigilant citizens to report suspected fraud communications, where a fraud was attempted but not actually committed.

According to the minister, cases involving actual financial loss due to frauds are handled by Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), an organization under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that has been mandated to handle cyber-crime as per allocation of business rules.

"Action is generally taken after giving opportunity for re-verification to the mobile user. The details of action taken based on such analysis are available on the dashboard of Sanchar Saathi portal. Based on 7.7 lakh inputs provided by the citizens, 39.43 lakhs mobile connections have been disconnected, 2.27 lakh mobile handsets have been blacklisted and 1.31 lakh SMS templates have been blacklisted," said the minister.

According to the minister, based on the information shared on DIP, stakeholders initiate necessary action as per their analysis on the associated accounts /profiles in their respective domain.

As reported by stakeholders, total fraud amount prevented through FRI is more than Rs 1,000 crore based on transaction decline and alert/notifications given to citizens.

"Further, WhatsApp has disengaged 28 lakh profiles/accounts associated with shared mobile numbers," he informed.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Disconnecting 39 lakh connections is a huge number. Shows the scale of the problem. But the real question is, are these fraudsters just getting new SIMs? We need stricter KYC at the point of sale itself. The action is good, but prevention is better.
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Aman W
Preventing Rs 1000 crore in fraud is impressive! My elderly parents were almost tricked last month. These measures give some peace of mind. Hope the enforcement is consistent across all states.
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Sarah B
While the numbers look good, I'm concerned about false positives. What if a legitimate user's number gets disconnected by mistake? The article says action is taken after re-verification chance, which is respectful. The system needs to be transparent.
K
Karthik V
Blacklisting 2.27 lakh handsets is key. These fraudsters often use cheap phones just for scams. Cutting off the device itself will hurt their operations. Good move by DoT. Jai Hind!
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Nisha Z
The collaboration with WhatsApp to disengage 28 lakh profiles is crucial. So much fraud happens there. Public awareness is half the battle. We all need to be more vigilant and report anything suspicious.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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