Telecom ministry to cut off 21.7 million mobile connections linked to fraud

Indians lost at least Rs 500 crore to fraud in the six months before March, prompting the Centre to form an inter-ministerial panel to address gaps in banking, immigration, and telecom

The Union Ministry of Telecommunications has notified the Centre’s high-level inter-ministerial panel about plans to disconnect around 21.7 million mobile connections that were obtained using forged documentation or are associated with cybercrime activities, according to a report by The Indian Express. Additionally, around 226,000 mobile handsets will be blocked.

Earlier this month, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) shared this information during a meeting convened by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The meeting included officials from the Bureau of Immigration, Financial Intelligence Unit, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), security experts from various agencies, and senior officials from all states and Union Territories, the report said.

 

Over 5,000 Indians were believed to be stranded in Cambodia, allegedly held against their will and coerced into participating in cyber fraud. Government estimates indicate that at least Rs 500 crore was lost to fraud by Indians in the six months leading up to March this year. In response to these issues, the Centre established the inter-ministerial panel to investigate and identify the gaps contributing to these problems, which have been found in the banking, immigration, and telecom sectors, the report further said.

During the meeting, the telecommunications department reported that it has implemented several initiatives to enhance the effectiveness of know your customer (KYC) protocols for SIM card acquisitions.

The report quoted a source as saying that the ministry is disconnecting approximately 21.7 million mobile connections obtained through fake or forged documents, those exceeding the prescribed limits, and those misused in cybercrime or financial fraud.

International spoofed calls

In May, the DoT instructed telecom operators to block all incoming international spoofed calls that display Indian mobile numbers. The source further added that the telecom ministry has also indicated that 35 per cent of incoming international calls are currently being blocked, with full implementation expected by December 31 this year.”

In the meeting, the DoT stated that to track roaming phone numbers associated with scam operations in Southeast Asia, all telecom service providers (TSPs) have been directed to submit weekly data on Indian mobile numbers roaming in countries such as Hong Kong, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and Myanmar.
 

The DoT reported that over 600,000 Indian SIM cards were ‘roaming’ in the Southeast Asia region between April and June this year. There are more than 140,000 point of sale (PoS) agents selling these SIM cards across India. Authorities from all states and Union Territories were urged to take appropriate legal action against PoS agents implicated in the sale of these Indian SIMs, which are reportedly used in scam operations in Southeast Asia.

Data analysis by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), part of the MHA, has revealed a rise in cybercrimes targeting Indians, with approximately 45 per cent of these crimes traced back to the Southeast Asia region. Since January 2023, around 100,000 cyber complaints have been filed with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the report said.