New Delhi: Taking steps to check fraudsters using international spoofed calls that display Indian mobile numbers (+91-xxxxx) to deceive Indian citizens and carry out cyber-crimes and financial frauds, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked Telecom Service Providers to display “International Calls” on all calls coming from outside India.
DoT said although these calls appear to originate from within India, they are made from abroad through manipulation of the Calling Line Identity (CLI), commonly referred to as phone number.
DoT had earlier launched an indigenously developed International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System, along with all Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). The tool proved to be a formidable barrier that blocked 90% of all the incoming international calls which were identified as spoofed calls — approximately 1.35 crore, in just 24 hours. The spoofed calls identified and blocked with Indian numbers, therefore, dipped to about 4 lakhs per day indicating the system’s success in tackling the issue of cyber-crimes using spoofed calls from abroad.
However, scammers abroad changed their modus operandi and started spoofing using international numbers.
DoT today advised people to exercise caution when receiving calls from unfamiliar international numbers, particularly those claiming to be government authorities It urged them to report suspected fraud communications through the newly launched Sanchar Saathi mobile App and portal.
Besides, with Telecom Service Providers displaying “International Calls” on all calls coming from outside India now, DoT said this will help the call receiver to understand that since the incoming calls are “International Calls”, they cannot be from organizations like DoT, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), police, Reserve Bank of India, Customs, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) etc.
One of the major service providers has already implemented this in its network and others are in the process of doing so, DoT said.
In order to further tackle the menace of international spoofed calls from reaching Indian citizens, DoT has also asked Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to block traffic from such international carriers, which are repeatedly sending spoofed CLI call traffic to India.
Abiding by DoT’s instructions various Indian International Telecom Service Providers like Airtel, BSNL, and Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), have blocked more than 20 such carriers/aggregators who were handing over spoofed international calls.
Moreover, citizens have also joined hands with DoT and in the fight against cyber-crime, they are not only exercising caution while receiving calls from unfamiliar international numbers, particularly those claiming to be government authorities but are also reporting them to DoT through Sanchar Saathi mobile App and portal. This is helping DoT to take action against such carriers/aggregators.
The recently launched Sanchar Saathi App has placed the convenience of reporting fraudulent calls at the fingertips of the citizens. It immensely enhances the ease of reporting any suspected fraud communications by allowing citizens to report such incidents directly from their mobile phone call logs.
Proactive reporting by citizens on Sanchar Saathi can significantly contribute to curbing fraudulent activities from international numbers. Suspected fraud call reporting can be done through the Sanchar Saathi portal or the newly launched Sanchar Saathi mobile app, DoT stated.
– global bihari bureau