As cyber scams exploiting telecom channels surge across India, the government, through the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Home Affairs, is rolling out a suite of advanced measures designed to protect citizens. This multi-pronged approach merges public empowerment with technological surveillance to secure telecommunication networks and block fraudulent activity at scale.
ASTR AI and Sanchar Saathi: Guarding Connections and Citizens
DoT has launched ASTR, an indigenous AI and Big Data analytical system that identifies duplicate mobile connections registered under different names and has disconnected over 8.2 million of them. Alongside, the Sanchar Saathi portal and app allow users to view mobile numbers issued in their name, report unauthorized connections, and check for suspicious activity. The platform has helped disconnect around 13.6 million unauthorized numbers to date.
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Tightening the Gaps: DoT Reinforces SIM Card Verification Measures
To counter rising instances of telecom-related fraud, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has significantly tightened the Know Your Customer (KYC) norms for mobile connections. Under the new guidelines, telecom licensees must now ensure that Points of Sale (PoS), the agents responsible for issuing SIM cards, are registered through biometric verification, and that their addresses and business locations are physically verified. An online supply chain system for managing SIM cards has also been introduced, alongside stricter enforcement mechanisms, including penalties, contract termination, and blacklisting of violators across all telecom operators. Additionally, the DoT has revised the KYC norms for business connections, mandating KYC for every end-user before service activation. A more secure protocol has also been put in place for SIM swaps and replacements, aiming to curb identity misuse in such transactions.
National Reporting and Real-Time Threat Tracking
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) now serves as a digital hub for citizens to report any cyber fraud. Complementing it, the Telecom Security Operation Centre (TSOC) and Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) integrate data from banks, telecom providers, law enforcement, and regulators, enabling proactive detection of telecom-driven scams. These measures are very timely as the number of cyber fraud complaints has soared from 10.3 lakh in 2022 to 22.7 lakh in 2024, highlighting the growing scale of the threat and With deepening digital adoption, telecom systems are increasingly becoming vectors for financial and personal data crimes.