New Delhi, In a significant move to combat cybercrime and financial fraud, the Indian government has taken strict measures, according to Union Minister Ashhwini Vaishnaw. Over 1.32 lakh mobile connections have been blocked, and an additional 278,000 disconnected due to their association with cybercrime and financial fraud.
Vaishnaw highlighted the government’s efforts in recovering funds, mentioning the retrieval of over Rs. 1,000 crore belonging to 400,000 citizens from cybercriminals. Additionally, more than 5.5 million illegal mobile connections, obtained with fake documents, have been blocked.
The government has implemented a system to detect fraudulent mobile connections, directing Telecom Service Providers to conduct re-verification. Failed re-verification leads to the disconnection of such mobile connections. The recently developed portal, Sanchar Saathi, enables users to check connections issued in their name, report illegal connections, and register stolen or lost phones, resulting in blocking across all service providers.
To combat text-based cyber fraud, the government employed Artificial Intelligence analysis of text messages, resulting in a 36% reduction in text-based cybercrime between February and November 2023.
In their ongoing efforts, 220,000 WhatsApp accounts linked to illegal mobile connections were disengaged, and 162 illegal telecom setups have been dismantled since 2021. The government has registered over 365 cases against errant Points of Sale, blacklisting 70,313. Furthermore, ‘Banks and Payments’ wallets linked with disconnected mobile phones have frozen 983,000 accounts.
For reporting fraudulent and suspicious calls, the government encourages citizens to use the hotline numbers 1963 or 1800110420.
