Over 13.6 million mobile numbers disconnected to check fraud: Scindia

New Delhi: Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia informed Parliament on Wednesday that over 13.6 million mobile numbers have been disconnected based on citizens' feedback to curb telecom fraud.

The minister said that in a major nationwide push to curb cyber fraud and protect citizens from digital threats, the Government of India has rolled out a series of decisive, tech-enabled measures under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in close coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

A key feature introduced is the ‘Know Your Mobile Connections’ service, which allows users to check all numbers issued under their name and report any unauthorised connections. This has resulted in the disconnection of 13.6 million such numbers, he explained.

The minister said that DoT has also blocked 5.5 lakh handsets and deactivated 20,000 bulk SMS senders. Nearly 24 lakh WhatsApp accounts involved in suspicious activities have also been disengaged.

He highlighted that a Digital Intelligence Platform has been developed, bringing together 620 institutions, including 570 banks, 36 state police forces, investigative agencies, and telecom service providers, to jointly tackle fraud in real-time. The platform enables integrated action against scammers and cybercriminals who misuse telecom infrastructure to deceive citizens.

To further involve the public in this mission, the Government launched the Sanchar Saathi portal on May 16, 2023, which has since registered over 15.5 crore hits, indicating strong public awareness and participation. Building on this success, the Sanchar Saathi mobile app was launched on January 17, 2025, for both Android and iOS, and has received over 44 lakh downloads.

The Government has also deployed artificial intelligence tools, notably the ASTR system, to automatically detect and eliminate fake mobile numbers, leading to the disconnection of an additional 82 lakh such connections.

Addressing the serious issue of international spoof calls, where foreign numbers appear as Indian calls, the DoT introduced a centralised software solution under the International Incoming Spoof Calls Prevention. On the very first day, 1.35 crore such spoof calls were blocked, and ongoing efforts have brought down such incidents by 97 per cent. Today, only about three lakh spoof calls are being detected daily, compared to the earlier massive volumes. Telecom operators have also been mandated to display ‘International Call’ alerts on all such incoming numbers for greater user transparency, the minister said.

He also stated that in a significant technological leap, the Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) system was introduced to assess user risk levels—Very High, High, or Medium—based on banking and transaction behaviour. This risk data is shared with banks in real time, helping them prevent suspicious transactions. Over 3.7 lakh individuals have been flagged under these categories, leading to the prevention of more than 3.04 lakh debit/credit instructions and the freezing of 1.55 lakh bank accounts. Recognising the system’s effectiveness, the Reserve Bank of India has instructed all banks to integrate FRI into their internal systems.

Additionally, the DoT has taken firm steps against the misuse of Indian SIMs operating from Southeast Asian countries. Over 26 lakh such roaming mobile connections have been disconnected, and around 1.3 lakh devices used in such scams have been blocked.

These ongoing efforts signal the Government’s strong commitment to protecting citizens, securing telecom networks, and building a digitally secure India. Citizens are encouraged to remain vigilant and make full use of tools like the Sanchar Saathi portal and app to report suspicious activities, check their mobile connections, and help build a fraud-free digital ecosystem, the minister added. (IANS)

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