New Delhi: In a significant move to combat the growing menace of spoofed international calls, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), is deploying a new system to block these calls before they reach Indian subscribers. This initiative comes as citizens across the country have been increasingly receiving fraudulent calls disguised as originating from Indian mobile numbers, a PIB press release stated.
These calls, often manipulated by cybercriminals operating abroad, exploit the Calling Line Identity (CLI) to mask their actual origin. This has led to a surge in incidents involving threats of mobile number disconnection, fake digital arrests, impersonation of government officials, and even false accusations related to drugs and narcotics.
To address this issue, the DoT has implemented a two-phase system. The first phase, already successfully implemented by all four TSPs, prevents calls spoofed with phone numbers belonging to their own subscribers. The second phase, set to be commissioned shortly, will involve a centralized system to eliminate spoofed calls across all TSPs. This centralized approach is expected to significantly reduce the remaining volume of spoofed calls entering the Indian telecom network.
The ‘Chakshu’ facility enables users to report details of suspected fraud calls, SMS, and WhatsApp messages, including screenshots and information about the medium of receipt, category of intended fraud, date, and time. An OTP based verification will be carried out. The DoT has emphasized that reporting these fraudulent activities helps in the early detection and prevention of potential frauds, safeguarding users from financial and personal losses. The department is committed to continuously strengthening the safety and security of the telecom ecosystem.
In addition to the ‘Chakshu’ facility, the DoT has implemented several other measures to prevent the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud. These include the Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) project, the Sanchar Saathi portal, a Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), and the use of AI-based tools to identify and disconnect mobile connections obtained using fake or forged documents. These efforts have resulted in the disconnection of 1.77 crore mobile connections obtained on fake documents and the blocking of 2.29 lakh mobile phones involved in cybercrime.